Dark Sorrow
by murgatroid-98
Summary: Deborah is a Civil War widow who has just lost her child. While wandering in the forest she meets a creature who alters her life in a way she never believed possible. Some early chapters contain scenes of sexual violence so read at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

Dark Sorrow

Chapter 1, 1864

It was close to dawn on a Spring morning and the air was cold, Deborah didn't feel it. Unable to sleep, she wandered through the dark woods near her home in a haze of grief, blinded to her surroundings. Something inside her wanted to burst free and shout her sorrow to the heavens. The death of her young son was only the latest catastrophe in her life, and it was surely the worst. Her husband's death by a sniper's bullet had not affected her so strongly.

She had loved him, not passionately, but with a strong sense of friendship, and she missed him. But the death of her child had ripped away a part of her soul. He was the one thing that made the hardships of the war bearable. Now he was gone. Taken by sickness that no herbs, no prayers, no tears would cure.

She came to a small pond shining like a jewel in the moonlight. Sitting with her back against a tree, she watched as ripples of water reflected the light, wondering how it would feel to walk into the pond, swim out to the middle and let the water close over her head.

"I think it would be a terrible waste." The voice came from behind her, soft, low, mesmerizing. She jumped up and turned.

Lost in her grief, Deborah had not sensed anyone approaching. Her extra sense usually warned her when trouble was brewing. In the end, it would not have made any difference.

"I am sorry. I didn't know anyone was here," she said, wiping tears she hadn't realized she was crying from her face.

She felt it then. The evil rolled over her. He appeared to be a tall, well-built man with long, dark hair. His face was shadowed. She was gripped with a desire to run, but something told her it was already too late. Another, final, catastrophe was upon her. Death stood before her. She realized, too late, that she really didn't want to die.

"Who are you?" Her voice was a whisper.

"I am called Alphonse" He bowed to her.

"Well, Mr. Alphonse, I must be going. I don't wish to trouble you any further." Her voice quavered.

"Oh, no, my dear. Now that I have found you, I shall never let you go."

His voice slid into her mind, oily and unclean. He moved close to her and she could see his face in the moonlight. He smiled. His teeth looked sharp and two of them lengthened as she watched. The surface beauty faded and she saw him as he truly was. His hair was colorless, filthy and stringy. He skin seemed to be stretched across his skull.

He walked toward her, not hurrying. He didn't need to. As much as she wanted to run, she seemed rooted to the spot. All she could do was watch him approach. His hand brushed tears from her cheek. His touch was cold. He slid his hand down her neck to the high collar of her dress. Tearing the cloth to expose her throat, he slowly lowered his fangs to her neck, enjoying her fear. She screamed as his teeth sank into her flesh, the pain excruciating. He held her tightly to him, slurping greedily at her throat. Finally able to move, she tried to struggle, but he was too strong.

When she was so weak she thought she would die, he stopped feeding and licked the wounds he had made. Greater horror ran through her when he slashed his own chest and forced her mouth to the wound. She tried to resist but found herself drinking. The blood burned down her throat. She gagged, her stomach rebelling, and struggled to pull away, but he held her to him. Then darkness claimed her.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the words of encouragement from a reviewer. Learning to post chapters has been interesting. Also, I realize it's proper to mention that the universe of the Carpathians is the exclusive property of Ms. Feehan. I hope she won't mind me playing in that universe a little and even inviting a few of her characters to join me for a short while.

Chapter 2

Deborah awoke on a cold, hard surface. Her throat ached where the creature had bitten her and a burning sensation extended from her throat through her chest to her stomach. Memories of the attack rushed over her. What was that thing that walked like a man?

She sat up and looked around. Though she was in darkness, she could see the outlines of barrels and boxes. She struggled to her feet, almost fainting from weakness, and stumbled forward until she encountered a hard surface of a wall. Feeling her way along the wall, she came to a door. She grabbed the handle and turned it. It would not turn! She tried again frantically trying to get the door open. It was locked. She was trapped. She slumped down beside the wall as despair flooded her.

She felt his presence before she heard him. A surge of fear knotted in her stomach. She crawled toward the barrels hoping she could hide behind them. The rational part of her mind knew there would be no hiding from this creature.

She hunted around for anything to use as a weapon. Her hands closed around a length of wood. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was all she had. Then the door opened and she saw him, his eyes glowing red. Cold fear spread through her body.

"Good evening, my dear," he said, in a voice that was low and almost sensual.

"Please let me go." She hated the pleading in her voice and knew that her fear pleased him.

"I'm afraid not, my love. You are mine now. I've waited a long time for you."

She brandished her weapon and he laughed. "You think to fight me my dear.?"

He stalked her across the room, moving too fast for her to react, and tore the broom from her hands. Then he was on her, tearing the rags of her dress from her body, then her petticoats and, finally, her under things. She fought but he was incredibly strong. He threw her onto the floor and fell on top of her. She screamed as he forced her legs apart and again as he thrust into her. He pounded into her with no consideration for her pain.

She could hardly breathe for the pain, praying that he would just kill her. The agony was unending, burning and tearing. There was more pain at her neck, then greedy slurping as her fed on her, pounding into her body in a frenzy.

She felt herself slipping into an alternate consciousness and began to experience memories that were not her own. A young boy played with other boys, learned to change his shape as he grew, and became a hunter of creatures like the one attacking her, finally becoming one of the creatures he had hunted. She felt pity for the boy who had become such a monster.

She came back to herself, her body aching and burning. The burning in her throat told her that he had forced her to drink his blood again. The pain forced a moan through her clenched teeth, though she tried to hold it in.

"My dear. " The voice was in her head, making her feel as though cold snakes crawled inside her. She held very still.

"I know you can hear me, my dear. You will soon be like me. We only need to exchange blood once more and we will be together for eternity." Hot tears of despair burned her eyes. How could she get away from this monster?

"Rest, my love." It was a cursed when he said it. "I must hunt so that I can provide for you."

Provide for her? He would hunt some poor man or woman and take their blood. She heard the door close and the latch thrown. Praying to God to let her die, she wished she could move so she could kill herself before he returned, but she was helpless. Images of his life flashed through her mind. How she knew it was his life, she had no idea, but she also knew these memories were her only hope. When she could fight the weakness no longer, she sank into a nightmare filled with images of killing innocents, of depravity.

She woke some time later. There was no sense of time anymore but she thought it was late afternoon. She was terribly thirsty and painfully sore. The cold packed earth of the floor had chilled her body causing her to shiver violently. She rolled painfully to her side and searched for the remnants of her clothing. She found the remains of her dress and wrapped herself in the fabric, hoping for some protection from the awful cold. She lay back, concentrating on the memories she had received from Alphonse.

She examined one memory of a fight in which a tall man thrust his hand into the chest of a monster much like Alphonse and ripped the heart out, flung it aside, only to watch it try to return to its owner. She watched as the man pulled lightning from the sky and used it to incinerate the heart and then the monster. She studied the images, working past the misery of her body.

When Alphonse returned, flush with his kill, he raped her again and again through the long night. Deborah's mind took her outside of herself, into a hidden compartment of her consciousness, insulating her from the abuse of her body. She began to search for a solution to her situation. It was nearly dawn when he left her, locking the door behind him. She knew this would be her last day as a human and she began to plan.

He had demonstrated he could read her mind just before he took her from the forest. He could also project his mind into hers. Now she had a space in her mind he could not enter, a place where she could hide her intentions. Let him believe she was no threat to him. His arrogance would keep him from digging deeper than the surface, she hoped.

A cold resolve filled her, something deep inside her awakening. She was different from other people. She had always had a sense of others, knowing who to trust and who was deceitful. And there was always something powerful just out of her reach. Something was uncoiling inside her, a sense of tremendous heat, trying to get out. She explored this sensation, reaching for it, ready to embrace it as lethargy overtook her and she slept, unable to move.


	3. Chapter 3

As always, the world of the Carpathians is the exclusive property of Ms. Feehan, I just want to play in it a little while.

Chapter 3

When he came to her that night, she was ready. Exhaustion and a terrible thirst added to the torment of her body, but she was determined to endure. Tonight it would end, one way or the other.

Deborah didn't try to fight when he took her body, then her blood. When he slashed his chest she drank deeply, ignoring the burning in her throat, knowing she would need all the strength she could get. Reaching deep inside herself, she felt the uncoiling heat begin to rise. She found it, owned it, and controlled it.

Fire rose up and Deborah gathered it up and molded it into a weapon of destruction, focusing it at the monster on top of her. He flew backward off her to hit the wall, stunned surprise giving way to rage on his face. She sat up, righteous anger giving her strength. Fire raged through her body and she raised her arm, clenching her fist and aimed at his chest.

He screamed, a high-pitched wailing, as a burning hole opened in his chest over a blackened and shriveled heart. The heart began to smoke, a sickening stench permeating the room. He clawed at his chest, screaming and cursing. He fell on the floor, crawling toward her, reaching for her with his extended claws. Then it was over. He collapsed at her feet.

Calmly, almost without thought, she used her fire to completely destroy the body, burning it from the inside, leaving only a pile of ash behind. She felt strangely at peace now that she was free of him. Her other life seemed so long ago and far away, it was as if someone else had lived her life, had married her husband, had born her child. This present Deborah had been in terror and misery forever.

It took all the strength she could muster to get to her feet and go through the door. A set of narrow steps lead upward. Dragging her naked, battered body up one step at a time she crawled to the top to find another, open, door. She pulled herself to her feet again and held onto the door frame. A burning cramp started low and spread up through her body. She doubled over, gasping for breath, waiting for it to pass.

When she could move again, Deborah looked at her surroundings. In the gloom, she could tell she was in a farmhouse kitchen that looked very familiar. It occurred to her that she could see unusually well in the dark.

She made her way into the next room and recognized the furnishings. It was the home of her neighbor, Mrs. Ellis, a widow who had died during the winter. Surprisingly, it did not appear to have been looted, though there was a bundle on the floor that was out of place.

The sound of someone sobbing came from the bundle. Deborah staggered over to the form and saw that it was a young woman. Anger flooded through her at the thought that the monster had taken someone else to abuse.

Deborah felt another wave of pain beginning as she frantically worked to untie the rope binding the girl's hands and feet. She wanted this girl to be able to escape before having to face the monster Deborah would become. The knots loosened before she doubled over and writhed on the floor, barely able to breathe through the pain. Her vision faded and darkened.

She felt cool hands on her face, brushing back her hair. A lantern had been lit and there was a fire in the hearth. A young, red-haired girl leaned over her ,concern on her face along with many bruises.

"You need to get away from here. Away from me. I'm going to be like him. I'm going to be a monster." She could hardly get the words out.

"There is no evil in you. I have to help you. I don't know where he went, but I'm afraid he'll return. We both need to get out of here." The girl's voice was anxious.

"He won't be back. He's dead." Deborah saw relief on her face. "He forced me to take his blood three times. He said it would make me like him," Deborah croaked the words as another wave of pain took her.

The girl bathed her face then held her head while she vomited over and over. She brought water so Deborah could rinse out her mouth and moisten her throat. Then she found a blanket to put over Deborah's bruised and battered body. Again Deborah begged her to run away and again the girl refused to leave her.

"I can't leave you like this. You are not evil. That monster cannot create evil where it does not exist. In any case, I'm meant to be here." That was an intriguing statement Deborah didn't have the strength to pursue.

"Tell me who you are and how you came here," Deborah asked her when she could speak again.

"My name is Belle Foster and I was accosted as I walked back to my house from our outhouse. The men who took me enjoyed hitting me and telling me other things they would like to do to me. After I was brought here, that creature to care to tell me in great detail what was going to happen to me. He liked my fear."

"What did he tell you?"

"He said I would provide food for himself and his mate. He said he would make me last for a long time before he allowed me to die, if he allowed me to die. He said other things I don't want to think about."

"Well, things didn't quite work out that way, did they?" They smiled at each other, though there was little humor in it.

Belle helped Deborah into bed in the main bedroom just off the front room. She bathed Deborah's body and clothed her in a gown she found in a trunk. She stayed with Deborah through the long night, alternately praying and weeping in helpless sympathy, as wave after wave of agony caused the woman's body to convulse.

It was nearly dawn when the pain began to subside and Deborah sank into a deep and death-like sleep. Belle wept with relief and she made sure the windows were covered and the room was dark. She finally sank down next to the other woman on the bed and followed her into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

My thanks to Ms. Feehan for creating the world of the Carpathians. It is never my intent to capitalize on her work, I just enjoy playing there for a while.

I've looked over this chapter several times, tweaking and correcting, so if I've left out words, used the wrong words, or just generally screwed up, please forgive me.

Chapter 4

Deborah slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was sore and tired, but the terrible pain that had consumed her body was gone. She was hungry, but the thought of food made her nauseous.

She looked around the room attempting to remember the events from the night before. She had killed a monster. It should be a nightmare, but it was all too real. Slowly sitting up, she put her feet on the floor. The gown she was wearing was not familiar. It must have belonged to Mrs. Ellis. Whoever it belonged to, Deborah was grateful for it.

She stood cautiously and walked toward the door. The room was dark except for a faint light from that direction. She walked out into the front room with her hand on the wall for support and saw that the light came from several candles and a cheery fire in the fireplace. The red haired girl sat in a chair near the fire.

"Oh, you're awake," Belle cried, leaping up, "I was worried about you. I was afraid you were dead when I checked on you and I couldn't wake you up." Deborah looked at her in confusion.

"Do you remember me? My name is Belle. Belle Foster."

"Yes, I remember," Deborah said, "well, Belle Foster, I'm Deborah Hardison. Thank you for caring for me last night. I suppose you got this gown onto me? I don't remember much except pain."

"Yes. You were very sick. You still have marks on your throat and bruises on your body too, I expect. But you look much better." Belle walked toward the kitchen. "I wish I could get you something to eat, but there is nothing here. I supposed the people who live around here took any food that was left after the widow died. But I did find some dried herbs. I've made a tea but there is no honey or milk to put in it."

"Actually herb tea sounds nice. I don't think I could eat anything." She made her way to an arm chair near the fireplace and sat down carefully. She noticed that Belle seemed a little nervous as she filled two cups from a pot hung over the fire.

Belle was, indeed, nervous. She knew there was nothing evil about this woman yet she had a luminous, other worldly look about her that Belle hadn't noticed the night before. She was very beautiful, with a heart shaped face and vivid blue eyes. Her hair was golden and hung down past her hips, though it was tangled and needed washing.

Belle knew without a doubt that Deborah needed her. She knew as well as she knew her own name, that this woman would be a friend and companion to her. This was why she stayed with Deborah through the change, even when her instincts told her to run as far and fast as she could. Though they lived within a few miles of each other, they had never met, but Belle had seen her in dreams. Belle believed in her dreams.

Belle handed a cup to Deborah, then sat in the other chair. Deborah blew on the hot liquid and took a small sip, holding it in her mouth before swallowing. It was soothing on her dry throat if not satisfying. There was something she needed badly, if she could only remember what it was.

"How do you feel?" Belle asked, sitting down in the chair opposite hers.

"Very well, considering," Deborah said, not wanting to discuss the abuse she had received at Alphonse's hands. "I have a need of something, but I'm not sure what it is."

Belle looked down at her hands thinking carefully about what she wanted to say.

"I have a story I need to tell you if you want to hear it. I think it has much to do with your present circumstances."

"Yes, please continue. I appreciate anything that will help me understand what has happened."

"About five years ago, when I was about fourteen, I was walking in the woods near our property. I was looking for berries, I think, or herbs, I don't remember. It isn't important anyway. It was just past sunset but light enough to see and I was on my way back home when I was accosted by two men who intended to rape me and perhaps kill me. I struggled and tried to scream but one of them held me with his hand over my mouth. The other one pulled up my dress and tore at my under things and grabbed my breasts. Suddenly, he was torn away from me and sent flying several yards away. The other man let go of me and tried to run, but was also grabbed and tossed.

'I fell to the ground in shock, wanting to run, but my legs would not support me. I saw another man, my rescuer, approach the men. He was very tall and handsome, with long, dark hair. His face was cold and there was cruelty in the way he held his mouth. He pulled one of the men up and, I swear to you this is true, he bit the man's neck and sucked his blood. He did the same thing with the other man. Then he turned to me.

'I was terrified of course, but he spoke to me in my mind and told me there was nothing to fear. He told me I was to forget what happened and go home to my parents. Well, I certainly went home as fast as my legs would carry me, but I did not forget. I didn't tell my parents either. I knew they'd never believe me.

'It wasn't long after that, that I saw him again." Belle stopped and sighed deeply. Deborah watched her as she chose her words. She could almost hear Belle's thoughts.

"On this occasion, my parents were visiting a neighbor and I expected them back shortly after dark. I heard a voice calling me outside our house. I opened the door to see a man, tall like the other one. The difference was that I knew this man was evil. Oh, his voice was sweet and charming and almost hypnotic. He was handsome or so it appeared. I could just barely see the ugliness under the beauty. I wanted to run back into the house and bar the door, but I couldn't. It was as if my feet were no longer under my control and I walked out into the yard. He approached me and reached out to touch my cheek. He leaned close to my neck and I could feel his foul breath. I was very frightened, but I couldn't move or cry out. It was then that my savior appeared again.'

'He called the monster's name, but I don't remember what it was. He called him "undead" and "betrayer". I don't know what all that means, but I can tell you I was very glad to see him. Anyway, he fought the monster and killed him. He plunged his hand into the creature's chest and tore out his heart and threw it to the ground. Then he reached up to the heavens and lightning flashed. He drew the lightning to himself and molded it, directing it to heart and then the monster. There was nothing left but ash.

'He was bleeding from several wounds in his chest and back and I wanted to help him. He had me gather rich soil from the garden. Then he spit into the soil and packed it into his wounds. He had me pack the soil into the wounds on his back. I tried to get him to come into the house and let me take care of him but he wouldn't. He told me he needed to rest in the soil, that it would heal him. Then he walked into the woods.

'The next evening, I walked in the direction he had taken, hoping I would see him. I was not disappointed. One moment I was alone and the next he was standing next to me.

'He thanked me for helping him and seemed surprised that I remembered him from before but he didn't try to remove my memories again. Then he said something that was odd. He said that I was not his "lifemate". I don't know what he meant by that, but he looked sad when he said it. He told me there were no more like the monster in our area and that I should be safe at least from that kind.

'I asked him who and what he was and he said that he was a Carpathian hunter and his name was Blaine. He explained that the creature he killed was one of his race who had given up his honor and his soul. I asked him to stay and meet my parents, but he said he had to move on, that he might become a danger to me eventually. I sensed a darkness in him that was barely kept at bay."

Belle looked at Deborah. "He left after that. I never saw him again."

"You said you believe this relates to my situation?

"Yes," Belle said. "The monster who held you prisoner was much like the one Blaine rescued me from." She paused, then said, "I think you need to drink blood now."

"He said I would be like him." Deborah whispered. "I saw into his memories. I saw a man doing what you described."

"If it helps you feel better, you don't look like a monster." Belle said, smiling tentatively.

"I don't feel like a monster. And I certainly don't have the urge to leap on you and drink your blood. Though I wonder if that is what my body is craving." She shuddered, "It doesn't sound very appetizing."

The sat in silence for a while, and Deborah pondered the events of the previous night.

"I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly, but it seemed to me last night that you said you were meant to be here. Did you say you were kidnapped? Was it Alphonse who took you?"

"I was snatched from my home on my way back from the privy. I think there were two, perhaps three, men. I was bound and gagged and thrown into a wagon and brought here. That creature was here when they brought me inside."

Belle hesitated. "As to saying I was meant to be here. I'm not sure how to explain this, but I've already said so much that is unbelievable, I suppose this is no different. Since I was a child I have been able to see upcoming events, usually in dreams. I can't always tell when they are supposed to happen, but what I see always happens. For years, I've had recurring dreams that feature you."

"Me?"

"Yes. They aren't always the same. We are in different places and times. Sometimes we are in a house like the ones in this area. Other times we are in a house in the Western mountains and there is a child and a young girl and things are very different. There are many more people and they dress differently. Women especially dress in clothing that is very provocative. In some of the dreams, you take my blood and I give it to you gladly. In one dream you give me your blood to save my life. I've seen Blaine in the dreams, too."

Belle hesitated again. "Sometimes, we fight monsters, like the one that….or at lease you do." She looked at Deborah then looked down at the cup in her hands.

"Oh, my."

"And," Belle continued, "I can tell things about people. I can tell if they are good or bad. I think you have this ability too, or you did have."

"Yes, but it didn't save me from Alphonse." Deborah thought for a moment.

Belle said, "That was the monster's name? Alphonse? You said he is dead. Did you kill him?"

"Yes, it seems I did."

"How?"

"I have another talent. It began making itself known during his attacks on me and came out full force after his last attack, before the change started."

Belle waited.

"I called fire. Not flames and smoke, but a different sort of fire. I burned his heart from within his chest. Then I burned his body to ash." Deborah's face hardened. "I wish it had come out sooner."

"Deborah, I think you need blood. You are very pale." Belle's green eyes were filled with concern.

"I don't think I could bite anyone," Deborah said with a shudder.

Belle walked over to her.

"I am willing to give you blood. I saw in my dreams that you would not harm me."

"You can't be serious. I can't do it. I don't even have fangs," Deborah protested. But she did. Belle drew close and brought her wrist near Deborah's mouth. Deborah could hear Belle's heart beating and feel the warmth of her blood. Her incisors lengthened and Deborah breathed deeply, taking in the scent. She could not stop herself from lapping at Belle's wrist with her tongue. She bit, letting the blood flow into her mouth. She couldn't believe how good it tasted, warm, sweet and coppery. She drank, then licked the pin pricks, almost on instinct. She hadn't taken much, not wanting to harm her new friend, but she already felt stronger and healthier.

Belle watched her wide-eyed.

"I'm so sorry, Belle," Deborah cried, covering her face with her hands. Belle pulled her into an embrace, gently rocking her.

"It's all right. I'm all right. You didn't hurt me." Belle looked at her wrist. "Look, the marks are nearly healed. It must be your saliva." Deborah looked in amazement at the rapidly healing wounds.

"Deborah," Belle began, "When he told me I would provide food for him and you, I thought…well I don't know what I thought. I was horrified. As horrible as it was, I knew I was supposed to be there, to take care of you. I believe in my dreams and that belief kept me from giving in to my fear. When I heard someone coming up from the cellar and realized it was you, I knew I would be all right. I know WE will be all right."

Belle gently put her hands on Deborah's shoulders. "I need to return to my home. I know my parents must be frantic with worry. Will you come with me? I don't want to leave you here alone." She was afraid of what she would find at her house, but she had to know.

Deborah certainly did not want to be left alone. She felt a kinship with this woman she had so recently met and was relieved she could be in her company and not harm her. Also, she had no one to go home to.

"Yes. I'll come with you." Deborah looked down at the nightgown. "I wonder if any of Mrs. Ellis' clothes would fit me."

They found a chest in the bed room and pulled out under things, petticoats and a dress. The clothes were not a perfect fit, but they were close enough. There were ladies boots also that fit and Deborah was soon outfitted. She felt a little guilty helping herself to Mrs. Ellis' things. On the other hand, Mrs. Ellis no longer needed them.

Note: There will be one more chapter set in this time period, then the story will move to 2009. This setting was meant to establish the relationship between the two women. Also, this is not slash.


	5. Chapter 5

As always, the Carpathian universe belongs to Ms. Feehan.

I have edited and proof read this chapter, so if something doesn't make sense, or if I left out words or letters or there are typos, please forgive me.

Chapter 5

The two women set off down the road towards town. It was dark and cold and both of them shivered, pulling their shawls tightly around them. Deborah wished she was warm and realized the cold wasn't bothering her anymore. Looking around she was amazed at how clearly she could see in the dark, even though the moon was just a sliver. She could also hear everything around her, the sound of an owl swooping on its prey, the sound of an animal creeping through the brush at the roadside.

She even heard the rustling of the winter brown grasses as an almost non-existent breeze stirred them. A thumping sound entered her awareness and she realized it was Belle's heart. Suddenly, there were too many sounds overlapping each other and they were too loud. Some instinct told her to turn down her perception and the sounds diminished to a manageable level.

Then she realized she was seeing into Belle's mind. Images flashed one after another, scenes of Belle's life, her family and her home. Other images were fantastic, depicting moving contraptions not pulled by horses or oxen, people dressed in unfamiliar clothing, a large city with lights as far as the eye could see. Belle's worry over her parents was strong. Deborah withdrew, shutting out the images and emotions she was feeling. They were just too much to comprehend, and there was something dishonest about poking into someone else's mind.

As they walked, Deborah thought over the events of the past few days. Her life had been changed irrevocably. She might not be a monster like Alphonse, but she was no longer human. She searched through the memories of his life, before he became a monster. There were things, important things, she needed to know.

More than half an hour had passed since they began and, as they drew near the town, Belle walked fast, intent on reaching her destination. Her home was at the other edge of the town, not far since the town wasn't very large. They approached a modest house with a large yard and outbuildings. She nearly ran up the path through the yard, to the steps leading to a porch.

Belle stopped, trembling with fear, then stepped up and crossed to the door. Deborah put a hand on her arm to stop her. There was no light coming from the house, no sound. Deborah became aware of the odor of blood.

"Stay here," she told Belle, "I will check inside the house."

"Oh, no. I'm not letting you go in alone." Belle knew what they would find, but she still denied it to herself.

"I can see in the dark. You don't need to see this." Belle did not like it, but she knew Deborah was right.

Deborah carefully and silently stepped up onto the porch. She already knew there was no one alive in the house. She reached out to touch the door and it pushed open easily.

On the floor of the front room lay a man and woman Deborah assumed to be Belle's parents. Their throats had been cut. The room was a shambles, indicating that the couple had fought for their lives. Hearing movement behind her, Deborah turned quickly, grabbing Belle by her shoulders and ushering her out the door.

"They're dead, Belle." Belle's face paled, accepting the truth, tears flooding her eyes. She began sobbing as Deborah pulled her into an embrace, urging her back to the road.

"We need to notify the sheriff. You don't want to go in there." Belle nodded numbly and they walked back toward the center of town to the sheriff's house.

The rest of the night was a blur. The sheriff, Ray McAdams, was an older man, well past middle age. He had known Belle's family for years, rejoicing with their joys and grieving for their losses. Deborah and her husband had settled in the area just before the war started and he didn't know her very well, but he knew she had suffered terrible losses, too. There was so much more to grieve over these last few years because of the war. Now there was a double murder in their little town. He shook his head sadly, wondering where it would end.

The younger men were all away fighting in the war. The only ones left were old men, women and children. They were all thin and worn. Food that was grown and put by but much of it was confiscated for the war effort or so they were told. Local militias were made up of men who had avoided going off to fight, claiming they were there to watch for deserters. They were bullies and thieves, helping themselves to whatever they wanted. The town's people had learned to hide what they wanted to keep.

A group of the men was enlisted to dig graves while some of the women prepared the bodies for burial. It was early morning and dawn was just beginning to light the horizon when Belle said her final goodbyes to her parents, weeping with her loss. The others tried to comfort her, but there was little comfort to be had after such a tragedy. The sheriff vowed to find out who committed the crime while his wife offered Belle a place to stay.

"She is welcome to stay with me," Deborah spoke up. Everyone knew about the deaths of Deborah's husband and child. These people had performed the same services of grave digging and burial preparation for her son. They all agreed with her and hoped the two women could comfort each other.

One of the men brought a horse-drawn wagon around and the women were helped into it. The ride to Deborah's house was silent, except for intermittent sobs from Belle. Deborah was numb from the tragedies piling on top of one another. Her eyes were red and burning and her skin felt hot in the growing day light by they time they arrived.

The neighbor left them in the yard, offering again to do any service he could to help them. Deborah smiled her thanks to him knowing he was sincere and watched as he turned the horse toward town. Her eyes were streaming and she felt a growing need to sleep. The want into the house and she turned to Belle.

"I don't want to leave you alone, Belle, but I don't think I can stay up much longer." Belle's tear stained face broke her heart.

"I know you need to rest during the day, Deborah. I'm so sorry you had to find them like that, but I don't what I would have done if you hadn't been there. I think they were killed when I was kidnapped, maybe before those men took me." Deborah thought so, too.

Deborah showed Belle to her own bedroom and told her to make herself comfortable. She pulled out a nightgown for her and showed her the spring house behind the main house, and the outhouse. There was still food in a hidden root cellar, some vegetables, dried fruits and cured meats. There wasn't much, but it would last a while with only one person needing to eat. After showing this to Belle, she was exhausted. Anything else would have to wait until she was more able to concentrate.

"But what will you do?" she asked.

"I've been examining Alphonse's memories and I want to try something," Deborah responded. "You need to rest, you've had a bad time."

"Yes," Belle said, "I need to lie down. I don't think I can sleep, but I'll try." She looked at Deborah. "You have had a bad time, too."

Deborah lowered her gaze, unable to meet Belle's knowing eyes. She didn't know if she would ever be able to talk about what happened. She left the girl to give her some privacy and walked out to the back yard.

Deborah had noticed her body no longer functioned in the same way since she had no need to visit the privy. She needed to bathe and wash her hair but was too tired. The blood she had taken from Belle gave her some strength, but she needed much more. Her body still bore evidence, bruises and scratches and bite marks, that she had suffered at the hands of the monster. She was very sore in her lower abdomen and between her legs.

She walked into the back yard toward the brown area where her garden lay dormant. There was something about the soil that called to her. Searching the memories that were not hers, she saw scenes of the soil being opened, not as a grave for the dead, but as a healing place to sleep. She remembered Belle's story of her rescuer wanting to rest in the soil.

Deborah looked at the patch of garden and concentrated on opening a hole that would accommodate her body. She was amazed when the dirt actually moved aside at her request. All she had to do now was figure out how she was supposed to tuck herself in.

She jumped down into the hole and lay down. The prospect of dirt falling all over her, getting into her nose and mouth, was frightening. There had to be a way. She pulled up the skirt of her dress to cover her face and, using the memories as a reference, she practiced slowing down her heartbeat and her breathing. It was amazing to her that it was so easy.

She cast her mind out toward Belle and saw that her friend was lying down. She pushed at Belle's mind, encouraging her to rest and was gratified to feel her drifting into sleep. Feeling more at ease, Deborah slowed her heart to the stopping point, and pulled the soil on top of her.

---------

A powerful feeling of danger roused Deborah from her sleep. At first she was frightened, feeling the soil all around her and felt that she was suffocating. Then she remembered where she was and commanded the earth to open. The resting place she had created was not very deep and she was able to climb out easily. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was filthy and she longed for a bath, but it would have to wait. She was very glad she had thought of covering her face. She hated the thought of having grit in her teeth.

The sun was below the horizon and darkness was falling fast. She cast her senses out to find the source of her uneasiness. A scream shattered the stillness, just as Deborah homed in on the danger threatening them. She ran to the house with a speed that would have astonished her if she had been aware of it.

Stopping just inside the back door, she listened. Men's voices blended with Belle's crying made her blood run cold. She peered into the front room carefully to see two rough men ransacking the room. Belle lay on the floor, blood running from the corner of her mouth.

Deborah sent her thoughts into the men's minds. Such a useful talent, she thought. Their intentions caused black anger to rise in her. They would take anything useful from the house and considered it a bonus to find a lovely young woman to use for their pleasure. These men had kidnapped Belle and taken her to the monster hoping to get her back after he was done with her. These men had killed Belle's parents. They had robbed, raped and murdered their way around the countryside and now they would be stopped.

Deborah stepped into the room. One of the men looked up and saw her, a filthy woman with dirty, matted hair, and she was so alluring. She fed his lust, blocking the other man's sight of her. The first man walked toward her with a glazed look in his eyes. Her fangs extended and she let him see exactly what she was while keeping him from crying out.

She sank her fangs into his throat, drawing deeply. All the while she was in his mind, seeing the depraved acts perpetrated on innocent people by him and his associate. When she had taken a good quantity of his blood she withdrew and let him collapse on the floor, then turned her attention to the other man.

Removing the influence that had hidden her presence, she called to him mentally. He looked up, startled, and she sent lust to him, overwhelming his senses. She called him to her with a promise of paradise, and fed deeply. When she was finally sated, she let him drop and went to Belle.

The girl was not badly injured but would have a bruise on one side of her mouth. She helped Belle to the sofa and told her to stay quiet, gently calming her mind and blurring what had just happened. Returning to the two men, she planted a compulsion in their minds. They got to their feet, picked up the guns they had left by the door when they forced their way in, and went outside. They walked into the forest, well away from Deborah's house, then stopped and faced each other. They brought their guns up, aimed, and fired at the same time.

She went into the front yard and saw two saddled horses and three pack laden mules. Leading the animals to the barn behind the house, she removed the saddles and packs and turned the animals out to the fenced pasture. Searching through the packs, she found grain, dried meat, gold coins, and silver objects, all looted from other people most likely.

The food was stored with her own supplies in the hidden root cellar. The gold she stashed in a hidden cubby in the root cellar. The other things would be taken to the sheriff to be returned to their owners or their heirs.

Returning to the house, she saw that Belle had heated water and prepared a bath for her.  
Thankful for the girl's resilience, Deborah shed her filthy clothes and sank down into the tub. Belle helped her wash her hair, then heated more water. The two of them dumped the dirty water in the garden then refilled the tub. Deborah sank into the hot water once more and relaxed until it was nearly cold.

Belle had woken hours ago and explored the property. There were still chickens pecking in the yard and she found eggs in the hen house. In a shed, she found cracked corn and scattered some of it for the chickens. She made a stew with dried meat and vegetables from the larder and let it simmer. She had started carrying water for the bath some time before dark, sure that Deborah would want one. It gave her so much pleasure to see her friend relaxed.

That the two men were dead, Belle had no doubt. Her Christian upbringing had taught her that killing was wrong, but she found that having them lose their lives when they wanted to destroy hers did not make her feel bad at all. They had killed many people, including her parents. They made their own choices and in doing so, they chose to accept the consequences of their actions.

Deborah had finished her bath and dressed and was combing out her long hair. She was about to offer to fetch water for Belle to bathe, but saw in her mind that she had done so earlier in the day.

"What did you do to them?" Belle asked.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Belle nodded.

"I made them go into the forest and shoot each other." Belle nodded again.

"They can't hurt anyone else," Belle said, finally.

"I took care of their animals and unpacked their belongings. There is more food for you and there is some gold. I hid it, but it's only fair that you have a say in what is done with it. There are other things that I want to turn over to the sheriff."

"What are we going to tell the sheriff?" Belle asked. "He needs to know that my parents' murderers were found and stopped."

"I don't know. I suppose we could tell him we shot at them and drove them off. If their bodies are found, it will be assumed they died from our gunshots." Deborah thought for a moment. "I should have had them shoot each other in the yard, it would have made our story more plausible. Maybe we could leave those other items somewhere they can be found."

"Or we could keep them," Belle said.

"That seems dishonest somehow," Deborah said, "Oh, it's also dishonest to keep the food and the gold, if we keep it, but gold is nearly useless now. You can't buy things when there is nothing to buy no matter how much gold you have. But the other things, silver candlesticks, other things that might have been precious to someone, I'd like to return if the owners can be found."

"This is true." Belle thought for a moment. "I'd like to return to my house and get some of my things, and some keepsakes if you don't mind me staying you. I really don't want to go back there after what happened to my parents."

Deborah wrapped her arms around Belle in a hug.

"Of course you can stay here. I was hoping you would. You took care of me and kept me sane. According to your dreams, we are meant to be together anyway. You have become the sister I never had."

"Let's go tomorrow evening. I know you can't be out during the day. I saw how the light burned your eyes early this morning and your skin was getting red. We'll take the stolen items to the sheriff and tell him we found them on the road, and we won't say anything about the men. If they are found, good, if not, then they can rot in the woods." And so it was agreed.

They both knew their attitudes were cold-blooded, but they had been through so much that they were in survival mode. Nothing would change what had been done. They had to move forward and be practical.

The two women slowly settled into a routine. Later in the Spring, they planted the vegetable garden so their would be more food available for Belle. Belle helped Deborah make a secure resting place in the cellar.

Deborah practiced the skills she gleaned from Alphonse's memories. Belle was entertained for hours watching Deborah's attempts to turn herself into an owl and learn to fly. Deborah was very careful with her feedings, looking for healthy people, especially men, taking just enough blood, and making them forget.

They knew a little of what the future held for them thanks to Belle's dreams, but it was best not to dwell on it. Life was easier if they just lived in the present and let the future take care of itself.

TBC

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If anyone is interested, Chapter 6 is typed up and I'll try to have it up by Sunday night. Chapter 7 is hand-written in my notebook and still needs typing and editing. I probably won't try to post it until next weekend.


	6. Chapter 6

As always, the universe of the Carpathians is the exclusive property of Christine Feehan.

Chapter 6, 2009

It was just after sunset and nearly dark as Deborah finished her evening meal. Three young men with mischief on their minds had been side-tracked by a beautiful woman who talked to them about honesty, integrity and courtesy. At least, that's what they would remember. She withdrew from the last man, licking the pinpricks in his neck to close and heal them, giving him a mental push that she hoped would encourage him to become a productive citizen rather than a thug.

These three didn't have any drugs in their systems as so many did but all of them had a bad attitude toward authority and society at large. She sighed with sadness that so many young people seemed to have no direction and fell prey to behaviors that would shorten their lives and cause grief for those who loved them. These three had certainly fallen prey to her, but she had no harmful intentions toward them beyond taking a little blood.

Shifting into the form of an owl, she launched herself into the night. The freedom and joy of flight was one of the things that had made her existence bearable once she learned to shape-shift. It wasn't until the publication of Bram Stoker's novel in 1897 that she began to call herself a vampire. His description of the monster certainly bore a strong resemblance to the one she had encountered, except the reality was so much worse than the story. Alphonse. Thank God he was dead.

Belle insisted that she was not vampire but Carpathian, a member of a noble race. Deborah did not feel noble and she had never been to the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe, and she did not know anyone who had. Belle had to admit that she didn't know anything about them either, since she had only met one a long time ago.

If she were to be honest with herself, Deborah would have to admit that there were benefits of her condition and she had been blessed. Besides enjoying the beauty of flight as an owl, she still looked as she did 145 years ago when she was twenty-four. She was very healthy and strong. There were drawbacks of course. She couldn't go out in the sun and she had to drink blood to live. Animal blood would do in an emergency, but human blood was best and most satisfying.

She had learned the hard way that regular daily feedings were much better and safer for everyone concerned. Though she had never killed anyone while feeding, there were several close calls when she avoided it until she couldn't bear it anymore.

Belle had suggested that when terrible things happened to people, God would, if we let him, bestow great blessings. Deborah had to admit that Belle was right, she had been showered with blessings.

She thought over those blessings. She had a source of income doing a job she enjoyed and she had a family. Events 140 years ago had led to her converting Belle and they had been together ever since. There were people who looked down their noses at them thinking they were lovers, but they couldn't know the truth. Neither she nor Belle felt sexual desire, for each other or anyone else. They were friends, companions and sisters of the heart, as well as partners in a business.

Tonight it was Deborah's turn to play hostess at their supper club, Belle's. Belle had wanted to call it Deb's, but Deborah absolutely refused. Belle's was a quiet, intimate place where people could relax, dine, and talk if they wished. A pianist played soft music, adding to the ambience. Mark and Sally Larsen, the young couple who managed the place, would be there, but their regular customers enjoyed seeing and chatting with either of the two women who owned it. They were the most beautiful and alluring women most people had ever seen, though the two women themselves did not seem to realize it.

Belle had gone with the girls to the season's first football game at their local high school. Sixteen year old Samantha was a member of the marching band and it was Belle's turn to chaperone. Ten year old Tamara would be with her. Belle would share the event with Deborah mind to mind so she would not have to miss seeing Samantha perform with the band.

Neither woman had ever thought they would have the joy and responsibility of raising children, but when Belle had a vision of a young girl being raped and beaten, they had to respond to the child's psychic cry for help. They had rescued her before her stepfather sexually assaulted her, but she had been badly beaten. She was thirteen years old at the time and her mother had recently died. The stepfather died conveniently of a heart attack.

A year later, they rescued Tamara, a homeless orphan, from brutal drug dealers who would have used her for their own pleasure and sold her to others for abuse. She was eight years old at the time and had her own psychic abilities. Deborah and Belle had fed very well indeed that night. Afterward, for some unknown reason, the drug dealers had driven their vehicle over a cliff.

The drug dealers had a large amount of cash in their possession, money that financed the club and the home the women bought for the girls. A little mental pushing eased the adoption process and they had taken a drop of blood from each of the girls so they could find them if the need arose. Both girls knew their adoptive mothers were special.

Yes, Deborah thought, she had everything she needed and more. So why was it that she felt there was something missing from her life? She ought to be content, but she was restless. It didn't matter. She was practical and refused to dwell on some vague feeling of discontent, when she had been given so much.

Flying along, enjoying the night, she became aware of an undercurrent of unease. Casting her senses out into the night she sensed…vampire. She sent a call to Belle.

"_Belle, there is a vampire nearby. I have to investigate_."

"_Please be careful. Every time you face one of those creatures, I'm afraid for you."_ Belle, a loving and gentle healer, did not fight the vampire, only Deborah had enough rage and anger to face and destroy them.

"_You know I won't let one of them get close enough to touch me. Watch over the girls carefully. I don't sense anything in your direction but we can't be too careful."_

"_I'll be with you, Deborah, please don't shut me out."_

"_I'm just going to investigate. I'll shield myself. No vampire will know I'm there until it's too late."_

Belle didn't sense immediate danger, but she worried about Deborah fighting the creatures. Deborah has always been able to kill them from a distance, but Belle was afraid her luck would run out.

Since her first rising, Deborah had trained her body and mind using information from Alphonse's memories. She had vowed she would never harm the innocent and had kept that vow, refusing to become a monster like the one who turned her, yet she could sense the creatures from a distance and locate them.

The vampire stench led her to a large cemetery. How appropriate, she thought. She knew she should stay away from the creatures, that it would ease Belle's mind, but she just could not leave the monsters to prey on other people. Too often she had seen the depravity of which the things were capable, and she felt a personal responsibility to destroy such evil wherever she found it.

Sounds of battle came from beyond a grove of trees and up a hill from the oldest section of the graveyard. The sounds were intermixed with thunder from a gathering storm. Her owl form came to rest in the branch of a tree overlooking a meadow where four of the undead fought with two men, two tall men with long, dark hair. One of the men was broad shouldered and the other was more slender. They moved with quick, deadly efficiency.

It was like watching a beautiful, lethal, dance. She watched as the slender man thrust his hand into the chest of one of the monsters and withdrew the heart from the snarling creature. He threw the heart on the ground, reached up and called lightning down, sending it to incinerate the heart then to envelope the vampire. The creature screamed as he was turned to ash. This happened in an instant and the man turned to engage another of the vampires before the first one was completely consumed.

The other man was equally skilled, but it was the slender man who drew her attention. She sensed Belle in her mind watching with her.

"_Deborah, there is something familiar about him. He reminds me of Blaine. Do you remember me telling about the man who saved me when I was a child? Is it possible?" _Blaine was the Carpathian hunter who had rescued Belle twice when she was till human.

"_Are you sure? You've never seen another like him have you?"_

"_I could never for get him,"_ Belle said, _"I'd bet my life that's him."_

Alphonse must have been like this before he became a monster. Deborah had learned much from the memories but so much was muddled, as if there was a wall between the two parts of his life. She avoided the memories on the dark side of that wall, they were just too foul. She wondered how such men could become so corrupted.

A shriek drew her attention to the other man, who was in the process of dispatching another of the creatures. Blood ran from a deep slash across his chest, but he never faltered as he pulled the heart from the screaming vampire. A large wolf ran to leap into the fray but the man shouted at it to stay back. It was obvious this was no ordinary wolf. It leaped into the battle, tearing at the monsters, defending the other man.

Deborah saw the ground heave just before several more monsters rose up from underground, their hideous mouths grinning and fangs glistening. She had not planned to involve herself in this fight after she saw the hunters, but the odds had changed. They fought the same kind of monsters she did and she could not turn her back on them.

Blaine and Manolito were ancient warriors whose lives had been spent fighting the undead. Manolito's wound burned and bled but he fought on. He shouted at his lifemate in her wolf form to stay away but he knew she would not. She could not.

Blaine was like a well-oiled machine, avoiding the vampires' claws, while moving in to tear out their hearts and dancing back out of their reach. He had been without emotion so long that he was never afraid. When more of the creatures erupted out of the ground, he simply fought on, coldly and efficiently.

As he dispatched the vampire in front of him, he felt heat across his back, not burning him, but close enough. He heard a scream and turned to see another vampire, with a burning hole in its chest. He watched as the hole spread and the fire consumed the creature. Another vampire screamed, then another.

Looking around he hunted for the source of this aid. At first he thought it was coming from Maryann, but this did not have the signature of her power. As an unmated male, he did not know her very well. Her mate kept his contact with her to a minimum, as was right and proper.

He followed the source of the power to the edge of a grove of trees. A woman, small, with golden hair in a long braid, stood there, her arm extended toward the vampires. She aimed again, closing her fist, and another vampire screamed as a hole opened in his chest. Blaine watched the woman, whose blue eyes blazed with intensity.

Blue eyes? Golden hair? Emotions flooded him. Fear, pride, and anger all tangled up inside him. Fear for Manolito and Maryann, his friends. Pride in them and this young woman killing his opponents for him. Anger that his lifemate was fighting vampires. What?! His lifemate?! He could not take his eyes off her. A sudden joy suffused his whole being. He was saved.

The vampires were all dead. The hunter was staring at her. She tried not to stare back, but he was very handsome. Deborah never thought she could be attracted to a man after her past experiences but this one stirred something in her. She realized the others were staring at her too. Suddenly afraid of meeting them, she transformed into her owl form and took to the sky, flying as fast as she could.

"Who was that," asked Maryann after she resumed her human form, "she's amazing."

"I don't know," said Blaine, "but I intend to find out. There is a faint scent of vampire about her but I sense that she is Carpathian."

"A vampiress?" Manolito asked, repressing the desire to wince as Maryann packed healing soil into his wounds. He needed to discuss with her the consequences of disobedience to her lifemate.

"No. Not a vampiress. She aided us." He offered Manolito his wrist, looking off in the direction Deborah had taken, a bemused look on his face.

"What is it, Blaine?" Manolito asked as he closed the pinpricks on Blaine's wrist.

"The shirt your lifemate is wearing, is it orange?"

"Yes, it is," Manolito said with dawning comprehension.

"She has blue eyes and golden hair. I see colors Manolito. Everything is so bright." He looked around in wonder.

"You must find this woman, my friend. Go after her. We will return home. Bring her to us when you find her."

Blaine shifted his form into that of an owl and flew after his lifemate.

-----

Deborah shape-shifted as she landed on the deck of their home, a lovely chalet set on a hillside overlooking the city. She was rattled by the encounter. She had never met others like herself. She wasn't like the vampires even though one had turned her, but didn't feel she like the Carpathians either. At least,she assumed they were Carpathians. They looked like people in her stolen memories and Belle was sure one of them was Blaine, the one who rescued her as a child.

The vampires disturbed her too in a different way. Never in any of the memories had she seen so many at one time, and never in such coordinated attack. The prospect that there may be more of them was frightening. She and Belle would have to be much more careful to keep the girls safe.

She dressed hurriedly to go to the club, thinking she would discuss the events at the cemetery with Belle later in the evening, and discuss her fears. They did not stay in each other's minds all the time, and Belle was watching a football game with Tamara. It was nearly half-time and the band would be performing.

Deborah backed her car out of the garage and into the street. She could have flown to the club, but the car kept up an appearance of normalcy. She didn't see the huge owl flying above her as she drove toward the city.

Blaine watched as she parked behind a one story building with a full parking lot. He shifted into his human form, elegantly dressed, his long hair tied back with a braided leather cord. He walked into the front entrance of Belle's Supper Club and was seated immediately by the young woman at the door.

Sally had never seen such a striking man. She was perfectly happy with Mark but it never hurt to look, and this guy was worth the look. She led him to a booth in the dimly lit room and presented him with a menu, asking if he would like a drink.

To keep up appearances he asked for a glass of water then sat back, scanning the room. He wanted to learn as much as possible about his lifemate before approaching her. The beast in him wanted to rise and claim her immediately, but he knew that most modern women did not appreciate such a direct approach. He had heard enough about the recent lifemates of some of his people to know he should proceed with caution.

Since he intended to spend the rest of his existence with this woman, he did not want to anger or frighten her. He only hoped he could control the beast long enough to court her as she deserved. Also, he had seen just how formidable his lifemate could be. He leaned back to wait.

-----

The next chapter won't be ready until next weekend. Who knows, maybe there will be more than one.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The universe of the Carpathians belongs exclusively to Christine Feehan, I'm just playing in it a little.

I apologize for any typos, mis-used words, or left out letters. I really have proof-read.

Chapter 7

Deborah walked in through the kitchen. She always took time to speak to her employees and they responded. They were all completely loyal to her and Belle. Both women believed in taking care of the people in their care and that included the people who made their business profitable.

Most of their customers were fairly well off and many were willing to use their wealth to help those less fortunate. With Belle and Deborah they had developed a network to help homeless and abused children. As much as the women would like to have taken in every needy child, they new they could only do so much. By drawing like minded people to them, they were able to reach out to many more children than they would without the support.

She knew he was there. She had not felt him following her but there was a presence in the dining room that was different. Most of the people in the main room were regular customers, dining, making deals, romancing, proposing marriage, things that seemed comfortable in the confines of Belle's Supper Club. This was the place where decisions could be made in an atmosphere that prohibited deception.

All eyes in the room turned to look when she walked into the room. She was breath-taking. She was petite and had the largest blue eyes Blaine had ever seen. Her long blond hair was coiled into a simple chignon at the back of her head. A soft red silk dress caressed her figure, its thin straps leaving her shoulders bare, its handkerchief hem draping softly past her knees. Very high red heels gave her a little height. A ruby pendant dangled just above her breasts and matching earrings dangled from her ears.

Casting his mind out, he caught a mixture of reactions, admiration tinged with envy, lust and the desire to just be in her presence. Jealousy roared through him at the thought of all the men in the room with their eyes on his lifemate. HIS! He tamped down the rage, determined to remain in control.

He watched as she walked from table to booth to table, smiling and talking, making sure her customers were happy. A waitress had delivered his water and waited to take his order, but he shooed her away with a mental push, and continued to watch.

Deborah felt him watching her. Her emotions were conflicted, swinging between excited and frightened. She had never felt this way before. She remembered how he looked as he fought the vampires and felt such a longing. For so long, she had not felt desire for a man, had never really felt desire, even for her husband. The vampire had destroyed even the hint of wanting a man, until now.

She went through the motions, smiling and talking, making each customer feel as if he or she was the most important person in the room. Slowly, she approached the booth where Blaine sat and glittering green eyes met her blue ones.

-----

The game was fun. The Madison High Stinger's had won their game and the Madison Marching Band strutted their stuff and had the crowd cheering. The band members were high on their success as they changed out of the green and white uniforms and put on their practice clothes.

Samantha walked toward Belle, carrying her alto saxophone in its case, with a teenage boy following along, his attention focused on her. Belle sensed his attraction to her young ward, but there was no disrespect so she decided not to interfere. She would, however, get to know the young man, just in case.

Justin Wardlaw was sixteen and had lived with his uncle for as long as he could remember. They had moved to the area just before school started. He had been so lonely at first, but Samantha had been so friendly and made him feel welcome. She was so pretty he felt happy just being in her presence. Her Aunt Belle was gorgeous with her long, red hair done up in a braided bun on her head and her eyes like green jewels. He walked up to her with Samantha, but he was very nervous, and could hardly speak when she introduced herself to him.

The little girl with her was also a knock-out with her creamy brown skin and long, dark hair. She was as pretty as the other women in the family he had seen. There was something about this family that made him feel safe and a little afraid, maybe because the family consisted of all females. His only family was his uncle. He respected him but sometimes he was little scared him. He said his goodnights with reluctance and headed toward his car, wishing he had the nerve to ask Samantha out.

Belle drove toward home, listening to the girls' excited chatter over winning the game and performing well. The saxophone section, of which Samantha was a member, had played a solo that had the crowd cheering.

"Samantha, tell us about Justin," Tamara said, goading her sister just a little bit, "he sure is cute."

"He's really nice and I think he's lonely, so don't pick on him," she said blushing. Belle grinned to herself and kept quiet. The girls continued on, talking about boys, the band, the football season, and school. She enjoyed the sense of well-being the girls were experiencing.

There was little traffic on the road as they approached the entrance to their subdivision. Suddenly, a large dog ran into the road and stopped, looking directly at them, its eyes glowing red. Belle swerved to the right, hitting the brakes, the tires crunching gravel at the edge of the pavement. There was a steep drop-off at that section of road, but the graveled area was wide and she was able to bring the car to a stop with plenty of room to spare.

She looked back down the road after bringing the car to a stop but the animal was gone. It was very large and she wasn't sure it was even a dog. It might have been a wolf. She and the girls relaxed when they did not see anything and Belle started to pull back onto the road. The engine died. She turned the key but there was not even a click. With a growing feeling of unease, she turned to the girls.

"Everyone out of the car. I'm going to fly the two of you home. I'll come back for the car."

"Wait," Tamara cried, "something's coming!"

"I feel it too," said Samantha, "maybe we should stay in the car. You can shield us, right?"

Wind began to whip leaves and dust into frenzied whirling and Belle thought she heard voices calling. The feeling of evil was overwhelming. She sent a call to Deborah.

"I think you're right. Get down onto the floor. I've called Deborah and I'm building a shield."

Belle began weaving a barrier around, over and under the car. It took a lot of concentration to build a shield and she wished she could do it faster. It was nearly complete when something struck the windshield. The glass shattered and a long, bony arm with long claws reached in.

"DEBORAH!"

-----

Blaine stood to introduce himself just as Deborah's gaze jerked away and her face paled. She turned and ran to the back of the restaurant and to the back entrance. She threw the door open and leaped into the air, shifting into an owl. Blaine followed her into the sky, shifting into his own owl shape.

"Please tell me what is wrong," he sent to her, "let me help you."

She thrust the images she was receiving from Belle into his mind. Through Belle's eyes he saw the bony arm reaching through the windshield and a hideous, grinning face. Screams of terror came from behind him.

Deborah sent her power through Belle burning the creature's arm before he could touch her. Blaine was there with her, lending her more power. The creature withdrew his arm, screaming and cursing. They threw their strength to Belle, helping her complete the shield.

The two great owls streaked through the night, their whole attention focused on maintaining the shield around Belle and the girls. Blaine sent out a thought.

"Manolito, are you well?"

"Yes, my wound is healed and we have fed. Do you have need?"

"My lifemate's family is under attack by the undead. I would not object to your assistance."

"We come," sent Manolito.

Deborah and Blaine saw six vampires moving around and on the car. The undead called to the occupants of the vehicle, trying to confuse and entice them. One of them climbed on top of the car, pounding on the roof, but the shield held. Belle focused her whole being on maintaining the shield but her strength was beginning to fade. She felt her sister and Blaine with her, lending her strength, and she held on.

Tamara huddled on the floor of the car, trying not to whimper. Samantha was on top, shielding the little girl with her body, more frightened that she had ever been before, even when her step-father beat her.

"If you can help Belle hold the shield, I'll start picking them off," Deborah sent to Blaine.

"Done," he said, "but stay away from them."

"I never let them get close to me," she sent back, incensed that he would dare to order her.

Deborah focused her fire, aiming at the one on the hood who was trying to get in through the windshield. He screamed as his heart burned in his chest and his body was consumed. She killed two more before the others turned away from the car. She landed, assuming her human form, still dressed in red silk and heels, and aimed at another monster as he came at her with a roar, his fangs glistening.

Blaine landed, changing shape, to engage the remaining two vampires. Deborah watched his Hunter's dance with rapt attention. She had never seen anyone as sensual as this man. He stirred her body in ways she didn't think possible.

Focused on Blaine's dance of death, she didn't sense danger until it was too late. She had killed four of the vampires and he was taking care of the last two. Belle screamed a warning to her but, before she could turn, she felt claws rake her back from her right shoulder to her left hip. Strong arms grabbed her from behind and there was intense pain in her shoulder as fangs sank into her flesh.

Blaine dispatched his last opponent and turned to Deborah just Belle screamed. He saw the vampire rake Deborah with his claws and then bite. She screamed in pain and rage struggling to free herself. Blaine's beast rose and he leaped for Deborah's attacker as two more monsters appeared.

Manolito and Maryann arrived in time to see the creature attack Deborah. He pulled his fangs from her shoulder and snarled at Blaine, with Deborah's blood running down his chin. The creature threw Deborah into the side of the car, her body hitting with a thud and sliding to the ground.

Belle opened the car door, shouting at the girls to stay put. She knelt over Deborah pouring healing energy into her. There was something in her blood, some sort of poison rushing through her system. Belle focused her consciousness and went into Deborah's body to do battle.

Ordering Maryann to stay back and keep watch for more vampires, Manolito joined the fray. The rest of the vampires soon joined their cohorts in death. He called lightning to burn the creatures and their hearts to ash and cleanse the area and himself of their blood. He called to Blaine to cleanse himself and he did so, though his attention was on Deborah, bleeding and unmoving on the ground.

The men joined Belle, sending their healing energy into Deborah. They were horrified to see the damage already done by parasites released into her blood stream by the vampire. Blaine took control of her body, shutting down her heart and lungs to slow the microbes' progress. Belle had healed the girls and other humans, but Deborah had never needed her skills. She watched the two hunters and learned from them, joining them as they demonstrated Carpathian healing skills. She heard sounds of chanting that seemed to come from a long way off.

Maryann walked to the car, hearing sounds of crying as she approached. Her heart went out to the two young girls with their tear stained, terrified faces.

"Hello," she said gently, "my name is Maryann and the two gentlemen are my husband, Manolito, and our friend, Blaine. Are these ladies your guardians?"

"They are our adopted mothers," said Tamara, sniffing, "will Deborah be okay? Belle made a shield for us."

"What is your name?" Maryann asked.

"I'm Samantha," said the older girl, "and this is Tamara."

"Well, Samantha and Tamara, the guys are helping Belle heal Deborah. They are very powerful and I know she will be just fine." She helped the girls out of the car and put her arms around them, sending them feelings of comfort.

"There is a chant that our people use when someone needs healing, would you like to hear it?" Both girls nodded. Maryann recited the chant aloud as well as putting it gently into their minds. Soon they were chanting with her with the strong sense that it really helped in the healing.

It seemed like hours before Manolito and Belle withdrew from Deborah's body. Both were pale and exhausted.

"Beloved, we need to get her to their home, can you take Belle and I will carry the girls?"

"I'm tired but I can fly," Belle said, "and each of you can carry one of the girls. Blaine will carry Deborah."

Manolito lifted Samantha and Maryann took Tamara. Manolito shielded all of them from possible view and they took to the air. At the house, Belle showed Blaine the soil bed below the house. He opened the earth, floating down into the hole, and laid Deborah gently down, then bit his wrist and held it to her mouth, commanding her to drink. Afterward, he bent to her neck, nuzzling her skin and tasting her with his tongue, then bit, taking enough blood for their first exchange. He would have liked to have a more intimate exchange, but that would wait until she was healed.

Maryann offered Belle her wrist and she drank gratefully. Then she offered herself to Manolito, but he refused fearing he would take too much.

"I will go hunting and provide for you when I return. Blaine will need blood also."

The two girls were huddled on the sofa in the living room. Tamara at age ten was a tiny girl with creamy coffee skin and long, straight dark hair. Sixteen year old Samantha was fair and blonde like Deborah, but her eyes were green and full of too much knowledge. Both girls were beautiful and Maryann could tell that there was much more to them than could be seen with a quick glance. Tamara was wrapped in Samantha's arms. Maryann went to them and put a hand on each girl's shoulder.

"Deborah is healing now. Blaine has placed her in the soil. Do you understand?"

Samantha nodded. "They take turns sleeping in the soil. One always stays with us so we won't be alone during the day."

"She goes out during the day?" Maryann asked, astonished.

"Oh, no, she sleeps in the upstairs bedroom. The windows have heavy curtains to keep the light out, but she can hear us if we need her. We never do. We don't want to bother her, either of them, when they need to sleep."

So, Maryann thought to herself, one woman sleeps the sleep of humans while the other rests the Carpathian way. That sounds pretty smart.

"Who is Blaine?" Tamara asked.

"Blaine is the guy who carried Deborah home. He is her lifemate. Do you know what the means?" The child shook her head "no".

"Well a lifemate is like a husband or wife, only it's a much stronger bond than ordinary people have. Lifemates are made for each other. You might call them soul mates. Blaine has waited many years to find Deborah."

"What about us?" the child asked, tears in her eyes, "she won't want us anymore." The little girl started to cry.

Maryann hugged her. "Of course, she will still want you. Carpathians love children. I bet Blaine already likes you very much and he hasn't even met you."

"That's absolutely right," said a deep male voice from the doorway. The girls' eyes were wide as they took in the sight of the gorgeous man coming toward them. He bowed to them.

"As Maryann has said, my name is Blaine. I hope to get to know you better." He saw wariness in Samantha's eyes. "I don't know anything of your history, Samantha, but I know fear when I see it. I promise I will never treat either of you badly. We Carpathians cherish our women and children. I will always protect you. I pledge this to you." He sent a little push to help them relax, but they were strangely resistant. He would have to study the situation.

"I think it's time for you girls to get to bed," said Belle, as she came into the room, "you've had a scary experience, but it's over. Deborah is okay and we are okay. Okay?"

The girls smiled and went to her to be caught up in a hug. They trusted her to watch over them, even with strangers in the house. As they went upstairs to their bedroom, Belle turned to the two Carpathians.

"I think we have much to discuss."


	8. Chapter 8

As always, the universe of the Carpathians is the property of Christine Feehan.

Chapter 8

Belle looked at Blaine, drinking him in for a moment, then extended her hand.

"You haven't changed at all," she said.

"You have changed a great deal," he said taking her hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss the back, "you have grown into a beautiful young woman."

"I take it you two have met before," said Maryann.

"Belle, this is my good friend, Maryann. The other gentleman is her husband, Manolito." Belle nodded to Maryann.

"I appreciate your help. You can't imagine how glad I was to see you, all of you," she said, "and yes, Blaine and I have met before, when I was about fourteen. He saved my life twice in about a week. The first time was from two men who would have hurt and probably killed me and the other was from a vampire."

"When were you converted? It couldn't have been Blaine, because he would never have left you on your own with no protection, and you don't seem to have a lifemate. You were human, weren't you?" Maryann knew she was babbling, but she was so curious about this unusual family.

"No," Belle said, "it wasn't Blaine and I don't know what a lifemate is. Actually, Deborah converted me sometime around 1870." She looked from one to the other. They were waiting, quietly in Blaine's case, avidly in Maryann's case.

Blaine was very interested. He had been too busy chasing parasites to delve into Deborah's memories, but he intended to, soon. For now, he would hear Belle's account of the last 150 years.

"I should probably start with the night I met Deborah," and she launched into her story. Maryann linked with Manolito so he could hear the story, too. They were all shocked to hear of Deborah's treatment by the vampire and Blaine was flooded with a rage he barely kept in check.

"We left that area after a few years and moved to Memphis where I taught school for a while. During that time an epidemic of Yellow Fever had nearly paralyzed the city. So many people were sick and dying. I caught the fever too and thought I would die. Deborah thought so, too. You need to realize that we anchored one another. Neither of us had anyone else. We had, and still have, a bond stronger than that of sisters." Blaine and Maryann nodded. "That was the first time we shared blood and it was enough to save my life.

It was later that the conversion was completed. We had met an elderly doctor who had no prejudice against teaching a woman about medicine and I was learning from him. We were in a carriage accident one evening near the railroad. The train whistle blew and the horses were startled. Anyway, they ran the carriage into a freight wagon and it overturned. The doctor was killed instantly and I was badly injured. That was the second exchange. When we realized that I could not go out in the sun and couldn't eat anything, Deborah was afraid she had made a terrible mistake. There was no going back, so we did one more blood exchange. I think it was harder on her than it was on me. She was so worried that I would die, that I would be a monster, that I would hate her. We simply did not have all the knowledge we needed, even with Alphonse's memories. She was so relieved when it was over and I turned out alright. Once the bodily purges and the worst of the pain were done, she put me to sleep and slept beside me."

"Belle, if you are willing to share your memories with us, it's much easier than telling a story," Maryann said.

"I've only ever shared my mind with Deborah," said Belle, hesitating.

"We use this method to share information all the time. The only information we receive is what you are willing to share, but I understand if you'd rather not."

"I know you don't mean any harm to us, in fact you helped us. Alright, I'll do it. You will have to tell me what to do."

"Just relax your mind. You will feel us with you. You talk to Deborah mentally, don't you?" Belle nodded. "Well, it's the same thing except we are watching the memories with you instead of having a conversation."

"There is a mental path Carpathians use," Blaine said, "It is sort of a public channel available for everyone. The path you use with Deborah is more personal and is made possible by the blood bond you have. I have access to that path because I was with Deborah when she strengthened your shield." Belle looked surprised. "You did not know this?"

"No. You are the only other Carpathian I've met and I was human at the time.

"As Maryann said, just relax as you would if you were talking with Deborah." He would not enter her mind without her permission just because he could. She did as he asked and soon felt him and Maryann in her mind. Memories flashed by rapidly.

Blaine hissed as they saw Deborah's naked, battered body on the night of her conversion. They grieved with Belle over the death of her parents. They were entertained by Deborah's first attempts to change into an owl and fly. With Belle, they experienced again the freedom of sleeping in the soil during the day, rising to hunt at night to feed on unsuspecting humans, bathing in streams and lakes, and helping people where ever they could.

They watched Belle's healing abilities grow and Deborah's increased control of her fire. They felt rage at the abuse of Samantha and Tamara and watched as they were rescued, wondering how anyone could mistreat children. Blaine realized just how much Belle and Deborah still needed to learn.

As far as he could tell, they only knew how to change into an owl form, and had limited ability to create their own clothing. While Belle could heal humans, neither knew much about healing Carpathians, though Belle had just had a lesson. Most frightening was that there were no safeguards around the house. Belle's shield did the job once it was built, but the vampire should have never had a chance to shove his arm through the windshield. It was a miracle the two women were still alive. Still, there had been no one to teach them except the memories of a vampire. He shook his head in amazement.

Manolito returned, flush from feeding, and offered his wrist to Blaine. He refused, saying he would hunt so he could provide for Deborah. Belle accepted his offer after looking to Maryann for permission, because she needed more blood after her attempts to heal her friend. She hadn't taken much the first time.

"You are welcome to one of the upstairs bedrooms or the soil bed it you wish." Belle sensed they would prefer privacy for Manolito to provide for Maryann. She had learned a few things from them as they examined her memories.

Dawn was approaching when Blaine returned. He woke Deborah enough to give her more blood, then sent her back to sleep. He knew that Manolito and Maryann were in the soil nearby. He reinforced the safeguards around the house that Manolito had set and lay down beside Deborah, pulling her into his arms, and causing the soil to cover them.

It was Deborah's turn to sleep topside to watch over the girls, but Belle didn't mind doing it again. She lay down on the bed and set her mind to be aware of the girls and their surroundings before letting herself sink into a doze. There was an awareness of some sort of barrier around the house, but she hadn't built it, she could barely build one to protect herself and the girls. She would have to ask Blaine about it when they rose again.

-----

Deborah woke slowly. She had the impression of a warm body next to hers at some point, but she was alone, lying on the bed in the upstairs bedroom she shared with Belle. She stretched her arms above her head and extended her toes, working her entire body. There was slight tenderness in her back and a languid weakness, as if she'd been ill.

Memories flooded in, Belle screaming in her mind, tearing pain in her back, something vile moving through her blood stream. Everything was hazy after that. She knew she had been stupid, watching Blaine instead of paying attention to her surroundings. Never before, since Alphonse, had a vampire gotten close to her. It was embarrassing.

"_You should not be embarrassed little one. It is I who should apologize for distracting you. I believe you would have killed all the vampires if I had not interfered." _

The voice was gently mocking, amused.

"_Blaine?"_

"_Yes. I am honored to make your acquaintance at last."_

She slammed her mental shields up but she was sure she heard male laughter in her mind. She leaped up from the bed, almost falling from dizziness. He was in her mind even with her shields up. She realized she was clean. Did she sleep in the bed? She didn't remember it if she did. When rising from the soil she always needed to bathe. She had learned to cover her hair if she didn't want to wash it every day and she covered her face so she wouldn't have grit in her teeth.

She hurriedly pulled clothes from the dresser, slipping into jeans and a sweatshirt, not bothering with underwear. No one would know anyway, except, there was that presence in the back of her mind. She held her head high, no one was going to make her feel self conscious because she didn't feel like wearing underwear.

Blaine sat on the sofa listening to Tamara talk about the book she was reading. The child's voice was musical and filled his soul with joy. Samantha did not trust him, but he was sure she would come around eventually. He was an intruder in their lives, a male invading a nest of females, threatening their routine. He knew all of this, but he also knew they were vulnerable and the two women were greatly in need of training of their Carpathian skills.

They had done well, but in reality they had not dealt with more than one vampire at a time, which Deborah could handle with ease. A group of vampires was another matter entirely.

She stopped at the door and watched him. He was unbelievably gorgeous. He was altering her world and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She wasn't sure she wanted to do anything about it. She wanted to know more about this man. Warmth flooded through her entire body as he looked up at her. He stood reaching his hand toward her. She put her hand in his and allowed him to escort her to the sofa. She sat on one side of Tamara and he sat on the other.

There was some comfort in having the child between them, but each time she looked at him she wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go. He smiled as he caught the thought.

"Where is Samantha?" she asked.

"Belle took her to the mall," said Tamara, "but I think she'll meet Justin there."

"How do you know?"

The child just shrugged. "I just know. I saw them in my mind. They're okay."

"You are very talented, Tamara," Blaine said. Tamara just smiled at him.

"I think I have much to learn about raising children," he said, turning to Deborah, "especially these children."

"Yes. Samantha is just as special as Tamara. I had a child, but he died very young. Now I am trying to raise children in an age that I have my own trouble adjusting to."

"Come, walk with me," he said, extending his hand, "show me your lovely home." He wanted to be in her presence, talk with her, listen to her, and get her alone. He winked at Tamara and she smiled at them then returned to her book.

"_Belle."_

"_Good evening, Deborah, how are you feeling?"_

"_A little sore but otherwise very well . I'm going for a walk with Blaine. I'm concerned about you and Samantha. I'm afraid there will be more vampires."_

"_I am alert for them. Justin is with us. They are going to the food court for a snack. Go on, I'll be with them.. Have fun with Blaine, he's a nice guy. He fixed the windshield on my car."_

"_Really?"_

"_He knows so much. So does Manolito. I'm hoping to get them to teach me more about healing, and shape changing, and manipulating things around us. They can do all kinds of things."_

"_I see I missed some things while I was healing. I'll see you later. Please be careful."_

"I'm glad Belle thinks I'm a nice guy," he said, laughing as they walked through a dining room to a sliding glass door overlooking the deck.

"You were in my mind?" She thought she ought to be angry, but she wasn't somehow.

"I was in your body helping to heal you," he looked at her for a second, "I exchanged blood with you also. That allows me to be with you. It is also my right as your lifemate."

"Lifemate. I've heard that term before. What does it mean?"

He did not say anything as they walked onto the large deck, with a long distance view of the city. A small table with four chairs sat to the left. Two chairs with foot stools faced the rail. To the right and down a set of stairs was a path leading to the side of the house. Sensing that he would like more privacy, she led him down the stairs and along the path.

At the end of the path was a large greenhouse. She opened the door and led him inside. Plants lined the walls and there was a bench with herb seedlings. With a closer look he saw that some of the plants were varieties of leaf lettuce. A few tomato plants were in pots, as well as other vegetables. The most remarkable thing was at the end of the structure. It was a hot tub, big enough for several adults. There also several lounge chairs around the tub.

"The wall panels on this side can be removed during the summer to take advantage of the view. When the weather is cold, we keep them closed so we can all enjoy the tub in relative comfort. I enjoy soaking in a hot tub, so I spend a lot of time out here," she explained. She was chattering nervously. He pulled her to one of the chairs to sit, then pulled one of the other chairs closer and sat next to her.

"A lifemate is the other half of one's soul. For Carpathians, only one person can be that lifemate. This person is born to be that person's other half. A male Carpathian is born knowing the ritual words that bind his lifemate to him."

"Have you said these words to me?"

"No. I wanted to wait until you were aware. It is possible to bind one's lifemate without her consent, but I did not wish to do that to you, though it is imperative that I do it soon."

"Why?"

"When a male reaches 200 years of age, he begins to lose his ability to feel emotion. He loses his ability to see colors. Eventually a male has only his memories of emotion and his honor left. If a male never finds his lifemate, he must eventually meet the sun or risk becoming vampire."

"That's what happened to Alphonse, then?" Blaine nodded. "I saw in his memories that there was a sort of wall between his earlier life and his being a vampire."

"A wall? I have not known many people who survived the attack of a vampire and even fewer who were turned by one. Also, we don't get into a discussion with them about their turning."

"There have been others?"

"Destiny, lifemate to Nicolae Von Shreider, was taken as a young child and was turned and abused for years. She was infected with parasites like the ones injected into you. She suffered terribly before Nicolae found her and, with our greatest healer Gregori, rid her of them. She believed she was the same kind of monster as the one who took her."

"I understand how she felt," Deborah said¸ remembering how frightened she had been of hurting other people. She looked into his eyes, wary. "Will that happen to you?"

"No, not now that I have found you. Just being in your presence gives me the strength to endure. But I need to bind you to me and complete the ritual soon."

"Complete the ritual?"

"When the binding words are said and the physical joining is done, we are married in the way of the Carpathian. It has been difficult for me not to say the words and complete the ritual. My body calls to yours and yours answers. It is very unsettling and could be dangerous if there were any other unmated males in the vicinity."

He watched her face as she thought about it, withdrawing from her mind and giving her privacy.

"There is also the problem of vampires in the area," he went on, "completing the ritual would enable me to protect you and your family more effectively. Also, you and Belle need training in your Carpathian skills. You have done well, but you have also been very lucky. If you had ever needed to face more than two or three vampires on your own, you would not have survived."

She was incensed at first, thinking he was disparaging her abilities, but she knew he was right. I want him, she thought to herself, she had never wanted a man, even her husband. She made her decision and spoke.

"All right. Say the words."

He did not want to give her a chance to change her mind. He reached out and took her hand and, holding her eyes with his, said, "you are my lifemate. I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give to you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate, bound to me for eternity and always in my care."

She gasped at the words and at the feeling of threads tying her to this man. There was a feeling of completeness, of finding something she had been missing. He slipped to his knees in front of her and slowly brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her palm. As he looked up, she leaned forward and gently touched her lips to his.

His lips were so warm. The kiss deepened and she felt his tongue caressing her lips, encouraging them to part. She had never been kissed this way, and in fact had been kissed very little. Her wifely duty to her husband had never been satisfying and, while he was kind to her, had never made the effort to bring her pleasure. This situation looked very promising.

Blaine sent a thought to Manolito. "My friend, I am taking my lifemate to the caves. Will you watch over the other women while I am occupied?"

"Of course," came the reply, "I know how distracting it is when one's mate has yet to be claimed."

Blaine turned to Deborah, "I want you to trust me, little one. I am going to show you how to change to mist."

"Mist? Alright. What do I have to do?"

"I need to take control of your mind. I will hold the form for you and help you maintain it."

She was a little nervous, but had decided to commit herself. She had only known this man for a day, and had been unconscious for most of it, but she was ready to run off with him. Why did it feel so right?

She opened her mind to him and allowed him to take control. He led her outside the greenhouse. Her body tingled as it took the form of mist, but it was exhilarating. Held closely in his mind, she followed his lead and took to the night sky.

TBC

-------

I hope to have Chapter 9 up some time this weekend. If anyone would like to post a review, I would like to know what you all think of the story so far. I appreciate all those who have added this story to their Alerts and Favorites. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: as stated in previous chapters.

It occurs to me that I might be exceeding the T rating and maybe I should have rated it M from the beginning, but we shall see.

Chapter 9

Blaine led Deborah to a large underground chamber far from the city and, with a thought, started a fire in a carved urn that had been left by previous occupants. The light reflected off gems embedded in the rock walls and sparkled on a bubbling pool surrounded by boulders. Shimmering into her human form, she looked around at the place, dazzled by its beauty.

"You are the beauty of this place," said Blaine, picking up on her thought, "if you were not here, it would appear dull."

They were pretty words, but she knew they came from his heart. He pulled her close, tangling his fingers in her hair, tilting her head. His lips found hers in a kiss that was so warm she thought she might melt. It deepened and went on and on until it seemed they were the only two people in the universe.

She wanted to object, to question her acceptance of him so quickly, but she couldn't hold onto the thought long enough with her body begging for his touch. He slid his hands under her shirt and up the smooth skin of her back then around to cup her breasts, their warmth spreading through her entire body. Never had she felt anything so wonderful.

Surprised by her own boldness, she pulled his shirt out of his jeans to slide her hands over his body. He groaned in her mouth, then pulled back from her enough to pull off his shirt, then hers. He was tempted to do away with their clothing the quick Carpathian way, but there was something so erotic about a slower unveiling.

She frantically worked at his jeans, wanting access to his body. He stood back and allowed her to push them down over his hips, releasing his hard length. She brushed him with her cheek as she knelt to pull them over his feet. His shoes were a brief impediment, which he removed with a thought.

He returned the favor, removing her shoes and jeans, and they stood worshiping each other with their eyes. He pulled her to him, skin to skin, so sensitive he thought he might die of wanting. They were soon so wrapped in sensation, passion, and joy that they would not have noticed if the world exploded.

She had a brief searing memory of the vampire's assault, but she pushed it away. It had no place here with her and Blaine. He saw the memory in her mind and helped her to wash it away. It would always be a part of her but it would never again rule her emotions or her responses. Those were his territory now.

Sometime later, they soaked in the bubbling hot pool, him leaning against the rock wall, her sitting between his legs, her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. They were deep in each others minds. He saw her marriage to an older man, who cared for her, but did not give her passion. He saw and felt her grief at her small son's death and her fear and rage when Alphonse raped and turned her. He followed her life as she struggled to understand what she had become and learn to use her new abilities. She had done so well with so little help. Belle's friendship had made her life bearable. She was a true friend to Deborah that Blaine wondered if fate had a hand in his meeting her as a young girl.

It was only in recent years that Carpathians learned they could convert some women with psychic abilities. That two such women would come together nearly a century before was nothing short of a miracle. Deborah could have given Belle blood to heal her without doing a true blood exchange, but some instinct caused her to do it correctly. Whatever the reason, there were two more Carpathian women to be cherished by his people.

Deborah saw and felt Blaine's life from his childhood to the present. She saw the carefree joy of being young give way to a gray, emotionless existence and growing darkness. She understood what Blaine faced without a lifemate and she understood a little of what made Alphonse a monster. It was past time to forgive him. She had held on to her pain for so long, and it was such a relief to let it go.

"From your memory of his past, I would have to say that Alphonse had not been a vampire very long. This is the first time I have seen anything like this. Always before, I met the vampire and killed him. I was never in his memories." He kissed the top of her head.

"Without those memories, I might not have survived, even with Belle's help. I learned a lot from him. On the other hand, if he had never attacked and turned me, I would not be here with you now."

"I supposed I should be grateful to him," he said, smiling, "but I wish I had found you first and spared you the agony."

"Belle says that when terrible things happen, God will, if you let him, give you blessings you would not have had otherwise. As much as I miss my son, I would not give up what we just shared."

He picked her up and turned her to straddle him, his heart so full of love it was almost painful. "There is so much I need to teach you about being a Carpathian, but it can wait for another night. This night is ours." He kissed her and made her forget there was ever anyone but him.

-----

Belle returned with Samantha about 10:00 pm. She was delighted to see Maryann and Manolito entertaining Tamara.

"I'm so glad to see you," she said, hugging Maryann.

"It's our pleasure," Maryann responded, "there is a very real danger from vampires and their servants right now."

"You mean last night was not an isolated incident? We can expect more of the same?"

Manolito nodded.

"I was afraid of that. I keep getting glimpses of massed vampires and of humans doing terrible things to people."

"You have a valuable gift, Belle," said Manolito, "it is rare among our people."

"I've always had it. I knew I needed to be with Deborah for much longer than my human lifespan would allow. That's how I knew she would convert me at some point. I wish the ability was more accurate though. I didn't see the events of last night coming, beyond a feeling of danger right before the vampires attacked."

"Belle, I have another question for you," Manolito said. Belle raised her eyebrows. "The soil under the house. I noticed it is very rich. How did you and Deborah achieve that? Did you bring it in?"

Belle blushed. "Actually, I made the soil the way it is." He had a questioning look in his eyes."

"I seem to feel the soil. I know when it's not right. I don't know how to explain it, but I can tell when it needs something or when there are things there that shouldn't be."

"What do you do when there are things there that shouldn't be?'

"Well, I take them out. I fix the soil. I take the heavy metals and other toxins and form them into a lump. There is a bucket next to the soilbed that I keep the stuff in. I don't want it to go back into the soil and I don't know what else to do with it." She shrugged.

" I don't know how to tell you what I do. I just do it."

She looked at the wall clock.

"It's getting late and I really need to put in an appearance at Belle's"

"I will escort you," Manolito said.

"I don't think that's necessary. I'll just fly so I can drive Deborah's car back home."

"I promised Blaine I would watch over you. I will accompany you to your restaurant."

Belle knew there was no arguing with him. "Let me get changed and we will be on our way."

"Do you know how to create your clothing from the elements around you?"

"No. We can take our clothing with us when we change into an owl, but we always buy our clothes."

"I know you are anxious to go. We will talk on the way," he said, and she hurried up the stairs.

The air was cold and the sky was cloudy enough that no one could see the two owls

flying through the night.

"Is Blaine going to be this protective?"

"Of course," Manolito replied, "you are his family now and under his protection. This is a duty all Carpathian males take seriously. Our women are too valuable to go unprotected."

"Don't they feel smothered?"

"Perhaps, but most of them realize the necessity of it."

"I dreamt of Blaine when I was still a child. I saw him with Deborah, but I never told her."

"Lifemates are born to one another. You knew both of them. Perhaps that is why you dreamt of them."

"Will you please explain this lifemate business?"

For the rest of the flight to Belle's, Manolito explained about lifemate's and what would happen to a male if he never found the one born to him. Belle was silent when he finished. It was such a romantic notion, but also frightening to think that she might not have a choice.

They landed and transformed near the back entrance of the restaurant. Manolito scanned the area and the interior for potential problems.

"When will you be ready to return?" he asked.

"I need to be here at least two hours," she said.

"Call to me when you are ready and I will return to escort you." He opened the door for her, then took his leave.

------

Maryann and the girls were having a wonderful time painting each others toenails and telling stories. She was learning so much about them, things they didn't know they were revealing. She especially sensed Samantha's reluctance to accept Blaine.

"What is it about Blaine that bothers you?" she asked.

"It's not really anything about him," Samantha said, "it's just that people hurt you when you trust them."

"Do you trust Deborah and Belle?"

"Oh, yes," she said quickly, "but my mother trusted a man and he killed her."

"Who killed her?" Maryann asked gently.

"The one who said he was my step-father. He beat her up so many times and finally she died. He was handsome and, at first, he was nice, but I never liked him."

"What was it about him that you didn't like?"

"He didn't feel right. There was just something about him that felt wrong. I don't know how to explain it."

"Does Blaine feel this way to you?"

"No. I guess I'm just afraid of him. He's handsome and he seems nice. What if it's all fake? I'm afraid it will be just like it was with my mother." Samantha was crying now. Maryann and Tamara both hugged her.

Tamara said, "Blaine's okay, Sam. Really. He feels right to me. He'll take care of us."

"She's right," said Maryann, "all Carpathian men and especially those who have lifemates are respectful toward women. He will be bossy, and probably domineering, but he will watch over and protect you. You are his family now. He and Deborah are married the Carpathian way."

"Don't they have to stand up in a church or in front of a Justice of the Peace?" Tamara asked.

Maryann laughed, "that's the way ordinary people get married. What Blaine and Deborah have is so much more, just as it is with Manolito and me. We are soul mates. We will be together for all time. There is no divorce for us. Our lifemates will never abandon or abuse us."

A feeling of dread washed over them, as though something evil was searching for them. Maryann felt for the safeguards, making sure they were strong.

"_Manolito."_

"_I feel it. I am returning as fast as possible."_

The feeling intensified as Maryann concentrated on shielding their minds from outsiders. It seemed to work, because the feeling of dread lessened and gradually disappeared. By the time Manolito returned to the house, it was gone.

"_I am sure a vampire was searching for you or the other women," he said, as he walked into the living room, "though he may be looking for these girls as well."_

_The girls were frightened, the episode in the car still fresh in their minds. As much as he hated to interrupt, Manolito sent a message to Blaine._

"_Blaine, there has been a disturbance."_

"_Yes, Deborah felt it and I felt it through her. Are the young girls alright?"_

"_Yes, but they are frightened. I am concerned about Belle. I had planned to go back to escort her home, but I am reluctant to leave Maryann and the children alone."_

"_Deborah and I will go. Please continue to guard your lifemate and the girls."_

------

Belle spoke to the employees, checking that everyone was doing their job properly, then went out into the dining room. She assured Sally and Mark that there had been a family emergency, but that everything was fine. She would never tell them what actually happened.

The three men in a corner booth watched the beautiful redhead as she greeted the late-night diners.

"That's one of them," said a tall, blond man, "one of the vampires."

"How can you be sure," said a shorter, portly man with gray hair.

"No ordinary woman looks like that and you never see them in the daylight. You never see them eat. I know she drinks blood. I just know it. Morrison said that's what we have to look for."

The third man, was of medium height and slim, with soft brown hair. "I've seen her at the school with the girl's they adopted. She seems very nice. She's friendly to everyone. My nephew, Justin, likes the older girl."

"You need to keep that boy away from them, Martin," said the first man, "we need to rescue those girls too, if it's not too late." He didn't really care about the girls, but he really wanted to get his hands on the redhead. He would soon have her begging to please him. He would enjoy her for a long time before he killed her. Just thinking about it made him hard.

"I'm sorry, Albert, I just don't see it. Ssh, here she comes."

Belle walked to their booth and smiled, though there was something about these men that she found disturbing.

"Good evening, gentlemen. I hope everything is to your liking," she said, beaming good will to them.

"Everything was excellent Miss Belle, thank you," said the portly man. His name was George.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Belle. She noticed Martin. "Haven't I seen you before? You're Justin's uncle aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am," he said, "I'm Martin Wardlaw."

"Well I'm glad to have you in our restaurant. Your nephew is a fine young man."

They chatted about kids and school for a few minutes before Belle moved on. The men watched her walk away.

"See," said Martin, "there is no way she's a vampire."

"We'll see," said the blond man.

Since it was Saturday, they closed at midnight. Belle called to Manolito to tell him she was ready to go home. She was a little incensed at the idea of having an escort, but there was enough unease that she decided to wait. It was just as well, because she didn't see the men watching for her to come out in the darkness.

When Deborah and Blaine arrived, the men sneaked off quietly, determined to nab themselves a vampire at some point.

-----

It was close to dawn and Manolito had one more task to perform.

"_Mikhail."_

"_I am here. Manolito?"_

"_Yes, my prince."_

"_You are not in Brazil."_

"_No, Mikhail. Maryann and I are in Seattle to visit her family. I have news for you."_

"_Please, continue."_

"_Blaine is with us."_

"_Blaine. I have not seen him since my father sent the warriors out. I am glad he is still with us."_

"_We have found two women of our race in this place."_

"_What?! Explain."_

"_Deborah was turned by a vampire in the mid-1800's."_

"_And she survived? That is amazing."  
_

"_She not only survived, she killed the vampire even before her body began the conversion. She has great power. She is Blaine's lifemate."_

"_That is excellent, Manolito."_

"_There is more, my prince. Another young woman was kidnapped by servants of the vampire. She stayed and cared for Deborah during the conversion, even though Deborah begged her to run away. Deborah was afraid she would be evil like the vampire. This young woman also had psychic abilities. In the course of time, she was converted by Deborah. Her name is Belle and she is a healer of the body and the earth. She needs training but she has natural talent."_

"_This new is joyous, Manolito, it gives more hope to our people. I sense that is not the end of your news."_

"_No, Mikhail. They have adopted two young girls who also have psychic abilities."_

Mikhail was silent for a moment, taking it all in.

"_I truly believe God wants our race to survive, Manolito,"_ he said at last, _"to have so many of our warriors find their lifemates in this century after so many centuries of waiting. Now to have these two women be discovered will give even more hope to those who still wait. Keep them safe Manolito. Dare I hope they will come to us here in the Carpathian Mountains?"_

"_That remains to be seen, Mikhail. They own a business, so may not be inclined to leave. However, there appears to be a gathering of vampires in the area. Maryann and I will stay here when our business is finished, until we know Blaine and his new family are safe. Of course, Deborah is a force to be reckoned with. She was killing vampires when we first saw her."_

"_She fights vampires?" _Manolito could feel Mikhail's displeasure.

"_I believe she has never had a choice but to kill them whenever she found them, but I believe that will change now that Blaine has claimed her."_

"_I certainly hope so. I sense it is near dawn where you are. I know you will reinforce the safeguards around our newly discovered women." _Manolito knew it was not just a hope or a request, and it was something he would do anyway. He said his goodbyes to his prince and, after seeing to the safeguards, joined Maryann in the earth beneath the house.

-----

Thank you to those who reviewed and to all those who read even if you don't review. There is no point in writing if no one reads and I appreciate all of you.


	10. Chapter 10

Usual disclaimers.

Chapter 10

Halloween was approaching and the girls begged to have a party for their friends. Deborah was prepared to resist until Maryann suggested that having a party for the girls and their friends at home was much safer than allowing them to go elsewhere. With her encouragement, and against the judgment of Blaine and Manolito, the party was planned.

Deborah and Belle continued to take turns at the restaurant. There had been no new attacks, but the sense of unease grew. They watched the girls carefully. Disappearances in the area had Blaine taking a little blood from each of them while they slept so he would know if they were in danger and track them. Manolito and Maryann stayed close to help watch over them. Blaine set himself to watch over them during the day.

During this time, Samantha and Justin became good friends. Belle often went as a chaperone with them to a restaurant after a game. Justin's Uncle Martin began joining them more often. Of course he was invited, along with Justin, to the Halloween party.

The house and yard were decorated with intricately carved pumpkins. Some had bits of dry ice to create a fog that flowed from the mouth of the jack-o-lantern. At the front door was a totem pole of stacked pumpkins nearly five feet high, each with a different face. Each of these had a candle inside. The usual ghosts peeked out here and there and spider webs, complete with spiders, stretched from the eaves to the shrubbery.

Inside the house was a cauldron filled with punch and a buffet held an assortment of foods. The Carpathians would give the illusion of eating, but the food was for their guests. Maryann, always stylishly dressed, was thoroughly enjoying herself and Deborah was feeling better about hosting the event. Belle always enjoyed doing things with the kids. Blaine and Manolito smiled tolerantly at the squeals of delight over the decorations, and were determined to help the girls have a good time while staying safe.

People began to arrive. Parents and guardians were invited to stay, but most of them had other plans for the evening. They were assured there would be no alcohol at the party and the kids would be well chaperoned. With the addition of the guests, there were twenty-five people at the house. Some of them were friends of ten year old Tamara and the others were friends of Samantha.

Martin Wardlaw planned to stay and learn as much as possible about Belle and her family. His cohorts at Morrison Laboratories were anxious to have him get close to her. Personally, he like Belle very much and wanted to spend time with her, and in no way did he believe she was a vampire. He stood beside her at the side of the living room sipping a glass of punch and watching the kids. She was so beautiful that he felt good just being next to her.

"I'm glad you were able to come to our party, Martin," she began, "would you mind telling me how you came to be Justin's guardian?"

"Not at all. Justin's parents died in a car accident when he was seven years old. My brother and I didn't have any other family and his wife had no family, so I took the kid in. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but he grew on me pretty quick. He's a great kid."

"He's very nice. Samantha seems to be quite taken with him."

"She's a pretty girl. How did you and Deborah come to adopt her?"

"She was orphaned and the product of an abusive home." She had not intention of going into the details of Samantha's rescue. "Tamara was an orphan also. So we adopted both of them about a year apart. There was just something about them that convinced us it was the right thing to do."

Belle sensed reservations in Martin, but did not detect any evil about him. "What do you do for a living, Martin?"

"I work for an outfit called the Morrison Center for Psychic Research. I suppose you think that sounds stupid," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh no, I firmly believe that there are people with abilities beyond what is considered normal. What do you do when you find these people?"

"It's rare that anyone comes in with true psychic ability, but we do get one occasionally. We interview and do a lot of tests, family histories, statistics, that sort of thing. Some of my colleagues are very devoted to psychic research, almost to the point of fanaticism, but the job pays well and it's interesting sometimes."

He certainly wasn't going to tell her that some of his colleagues actively hunted vampires. He wasn't even sure he believed in them. In fact, he was a little concerned that some of these guys went overboard with their ideas. Still he hadn't seen anyone harmed by it. If he thought there was a threat he intended to warn Belle.

Blaine listened to the conversation with growing concern. If the Morrison Center became interested in Deborah and her family, they were in great danger. He reached out to gently touch the man's mind. Martin Wardlaw seemed honest. Listening to his thoughts, Blaine learned that he had a romantic interest in Belle and was relieved the women weren't gay. Blaine felt a chill when he caught the thought that some of the people Martin worked with believed the women were vampires. He sent the information to Manolito.

"_We need to discourage this man, Blaine. Belle is Carpathian and as such is a potential mate for one of our males."_

"_I don't think we need to be concerned about that, Manolito. Belle likes him but she does not share his attraction and she knows what a lifemate is now."_

"_Still, his association with the Morrison Center is significant. He might be here to spy on us."_

"_We won't give him anything out of the ordinary to report, and we might be able to get information from him about their activities in this area."_

"_This is true. We will watch him and the boy carefully."_

Deborah walked up behind Blaine and put her hand on his shoulder. He reached behind him to pull her into his arms. His life had changed unbelievably. From believing he would be alone until he chose to meet the sun, he had gone to being one of a pair, to loving and being loved. He understood now why a male would do absolutely anything for his lifemate, endure anything, put up with anything. He laughed to himself to think of how he had believed a male should behave, that he should demand that his lifemate bend to his will. He heard Manolito laughing in agreement in his mind. He pulled Deborah out to the center of the room to dance.

Justin was dancing with Samantha, a slow dance, as were some of the other teenagers. They danced much more closely than Blaine and Manolito thought was proper. The younger kids were talking and laughing about something. A couple of them were playing a game on the Play Station. Most of them were costumed in outfits from witches, to princesses, a transformer, and vampires. The Carpathians rolled their eyes at that last costume.

When the song ended, Justin and Samantha walked through the door to the deck, closely observed by Blaine and Deborah.

"I'll follow them," Blaine said.

"No, give them a little privacy," she said, "we can monitor them from here and intervene if necessary. They are planning to walk out to the greenhouse."

"Carpathians do not let their daughters walk alone with boys, especially boys who have a sexual interest," he said, exasperated.

"She is not a Carpathian and they aren't doing anything wrong," she said gently.

"She is under my protection," he fumed, "I should give him a good scare." For all his posturing, she knew he would not interfere without reason.

Near the buffet, Belle sat chatting with Martin. That was another thing that concerned him. He had told Manolito Belle was unlikely to want to pair off with the man, but human women were different. They certainly had minds of their own, not that he had known many Carpathian women. Since his mother and father had died and so many had been killed in the Turk wars, and he left the mountains at the bidding of his prince, he hadn't known any women of his race. Still, this man bore watching, especially since disclosing that he worked at the Morrison Center.

Martin couldn't keep his eyes off Belle. He was trying to get up the nerve ask her out, but why would a woman like her go out with a guy like him? Part of him wanted to find out more about her to refute the claims of his cohorts at work, but another part of him just wanted to be with her. The girls seemed healthy and fairly well-adjusted and Deborah was nice and just as beautiful as Belle. He couldn't understand why they should be suspected of being monsters just because they were beautiful.

"Belle," he began, swallowing with difficulty, "I was wondering if I could take to you to dinner and a movie sometime." He waited to be rejected.

"Martin, you are a nice man," she said, "and I would be honored to go out with you." She had her own thoughts about the man. She liked him but not in a sexual way. She had heard from Maryann about the Morrison Center and the fanatics there and she wanted to find out just how deep Martin's involvement was with them. It bothered her to think that Justin lived with a man who might want to kill her. Yet she found nothing in his mind that indicated anything other than the desire to get to know her better. She knew she could wander through his thoughts if she wished, but there was something very rude about it, and decided she would only do it as a last resort.

-----

Justin reached out to take Samantha's hand as they reached the bottom of the steps leading from the deck. She smiled, enjoying the feel of his warm hand holding hers. They walked silently toward the greenhouse enjoying the evening even though it was chilly. She enjoyed his delight when they entered the building and he wandered around looking at the plants. Then he spotted the hot tub.

"I wish you had told us to bring swimsuits," he said.

"I didn't even think of it," she replied, "and we can't all fit into it anyway." She pulled him to the chairs and sat. He sat next to her wishing there was a loveseat available.

"This is really beautiful, I bet you spend a lot of time out here."

."I come out here sometimes. Deborah uses it most. She loves to soak. Now that Blaine is here, he spends a lot of time out here with her."

"He's kind of scary isn't he?"

"I thought so at first, but he's really nice and he loves Deborah. He's really good to us. He's acts like he's our Dad."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"I guess so. He's watches over us like a hawk. We can't get away with anything."

"That sounds like my uncle," he said.

"Your uncle seems nice."

"He is. He took me in after my parents died and he's been really good to me." He looked thoughtful.

"What's wrong?"

"Lately, Uncle Martin's been …. Distracted."

"He likes Belle."

Justin laughed, "that's for sure. But it's not that. He seems worried and I think it's something to do with his work. Some of the guys he works with are weird and kind of scary. I don't like being around them." Then he grinned at her, "like your Blaine."

"Blaine's not scary."

"I don't know. The way he looks at me, I thing he might want to rip my head off, but he's not here now," he said, leaning close.

"No, but I guarantee he knows where we are."

"Then I'd better make this quick," he said, and kissed her. His lips were soft and warm. Samantha wasn't sure how she felt about his kissing her but she didn't pull back. A voice from the door broke the spell.

"Hey, you two, come back and join the party," Deborah called. Blaine was right behind her with a scowl on his face. The kids broke apart and got to their feet looking just a little guilty. Blaine skewered Justin with a glare that made the boy shiver as they headed back to the house.

"I see what you mean," he whispered to Samantha as they started up the steps.

Deborah gave Blaine a look that said "stop it". He looked back at her innocently.

The party broke up at midnight when parents and guardians began arriving to pick up their kids. Belle and Samantha walked Martin and Justin out to their car to say goodnight. Martin arranged to take Belle out the next evening, which was a Saturday. Justin squeezed Samantha's hand and said he would see her at school on Monday.

Back in the house, Blaine and Deborah were cleaning up after sending Tamara on to bed.

"I intend to have words with Samantha about her behavior," he said, glowering.

"You will do no such thing," she said, "they did nothing wrong. They are teenagers, let them enjoy themselves."

"He doesn't need to be touching her and certainly not kissing her."

They went on about it for a few minutes until Belle and Samantha came inside. Samantha excused herself before Blaine could say anything and hurried up the stairs.

"It was a nice party, don't you think?" Belle said, sensing the tension.

"Yes, it was nice. I'm glad we did it," Deborah said, "Blaine is concerned about Justin's intentions toward Samantha."

"Yes, I am and I am also concerned about that man's interest in you," Blaine said.

"His name is Martin and he is a nice man."

"You are Carpathian. You should not allow yourself to get close to a human male."

"I'll get close to whomever I please," she shot back. She was beginning to get irritated.

"He works for the Morrison Center for Psychic Research. They are vampire hunters."

"I know. I have heard it all from Maryann and Manolito. I don't believe Martin is involved in that. I've been tapping into some of his thoughts and I don't find anything evil in him."

"He is trying to find out things about us to use against us." Blaine said.

"I agree he's trying to learn about us, but I don't believe he is against us. I also know he is interested in me personally." She turned a mollifying look on him. "I'm not stupid, Blaine, and I'm not going to run off with him. I know what I am and I know there is no future for us. Also, I don't feel the same for him that he seems to feel for me."

"What will happen if you lead him on?" Blaine snapped changing his tactics. "Do you think that's fair to him?"

"I have no intention of leading him on, but I do consider him a friend. If he gets in over his head with these people, he and Justin could be in danger. I want to find out what they are up to."

"It is too dangerous." He turned pleading eyes to her. "Belle, I have seen what these people do to their victims. They torture and mutilate innocent people in the belief that they are killing vampires. We believe that they are tools of a master vampire that we have not been able to apprehend as yet."

He paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair. Manolito sat with his arm around Maryann, watching in mute agreement.

"They would love to get hold of one of us to study our blood and experiment on us. There are already drugs they have developed that paralyze us and keep us from calling out for help from others of our kind."

"My brother, Reardon, was given this drug," Manolito said, "I will teach you to recognize it and break it down. Then, if it is ever forced on you, you will be able to expel it through your pores."

"I didn't know that was possible," said Deborah.

"We are ancient and can do many things. The two of you are very young by our standards, but I believe you are strong enough to do it. You are life-bonded to Blaine and blood-bonded to Belle. He will be able to help if you are separated. It would be beneficial for Belle to exchange blood with Blaine, also."

"He is right, Belle," Blaine said, "I can help you through Deborah, but if I have access to your mind outside the open channels, I can lend you more strength in an emergency. Then I want to instruct you both in Carpathian skills. Manolito, will you help also?"

Manolito nodded, "it would be a good idea for Maryann to practice her skills also."

"I would like to practice shape shifting some more," said Deborah, "We both would like you help us with our shields. Maybe we could do it tonight out in the yard."

Blaine offered Belle his wrist and she took some of his blood, then offered her own wrist.

Then for the next three hours they shape shifted into mist and various animals. They built shields until they could do them instantly. Belle allowed him into her mind and watched as she examined the soil near one of the flower beds, enriching it and removing toxins.

Manolito shared with Deborah and Belle, the experience his brother had experienced with the drug and went over the process for analyzing and breaking down toxins. Finally, it was a couple of hours to dawn and they had all had enough. Manolito and Maryann took their leave and returned to the house they were leasing.

Under Blaine's supervision, the women set safeguards to surround the property, then he picked Deborah up and carried her into the green house. He had a powerful need to make love to her until neither of them could move, and that is exactly what he did.

-----

Chapter 11 is not finished yet. I may not publish it until I start chapter 12. Maybe I can get it published this weekend. Thanks again to all my readers, I hope you are enjoying the story.


	11. Chapter 11

The usual disclaimers apply. This is Ms. Feehan's universe, I'm just playing in it.

I have tried to find all the typos, left out words and letters, and mis-used words, so if I missed any, I apologize.

The viewpoints in this chapter will change frequently. I hope it's not too confusing.

Thank you all for reading.

Chapter 11

In late November, the vampire hunters decided to make their move. Several of the men had taken turns spying on the girls and the women. The men with the long dark hair fit the descriptions they had been given of male vampires and, in their minds, the women were much too beautiful to be normal women. In a subterranean laboratory known to only a few they made their plans.

Martin continued to court Belle, even though he new she felt only friendship toward him. He came to the restaurant often just to see her. Sometimes Albert or George went with him. The attitudes of these men concerned him. There was a glint in Albert's eyes when he saw Belle and those eyes followed her everywhere.

They had been after him to provide them access to Belle, but their increased talk of vampires made him frightened for her. He had assured them over and over again that she and Deborah were not vampires. It was past time to talk to Belle about it. He planned to meet her at the club this evening and warn her.

It was after dark, cold and rainy when he arrived at the club. His nephew Justin was going out with Samantha after band practice. Fear raced down his spine as he thought about how vulnerable they were. He pulled his cell phone out to warn Justin to take her directly to Belle's house. He never got the chance.

-----

Justin and Samantha walked quickly to his car after band practice. The night was cold and rainy and it was relief to get into the car and get the heater started. Samantha called home on her cell phone to leave a message that they were going to McDonald's to meet friends from the band. Justin gave her a quick kiss before they drove out of the parking lot and turned onto the highway. Evanescence was playing "The Only One" on the radio. Neither of them noticed the car parked on the roadside that pulled out to follow them.

The lot was full at the restaurant and they had to park in the back near the dumpster where it was dark. Some of their friends had arrived at the same time and they all walked into the building together.

-----

Belle flew through the night to take her turn at the club, Blaine going along for protection. It was exhilarating to be part of nature like this. In the form of mist, it was as if she was part of the rain.

They landed by the employee entrance, assuming their human forms. Blaine had taught her to hide herself from watchers and she clothed herself with a beautiful gown as she walked into the building. With her promise to call to him when she was ready to go, Blaine took to the air to return to Deborah and Tamara.

Flying back toward home, Blaine became aware of two presences near him. Alarmed, he descended immediately to land in the woods. He assumed his human form and prepared to do battle.

Two columns of mist appeared before him and formed into two tall men. He recognized them. They were two warriors he had not seen in many centuries.

"Tariq. Andre. It has been a long time." He knew that vampires were very good at disguise and hoped fervently that these two had not turned.

"Blaine," said Tariq, nodding a greeting, "we have come to this country to investigate the Morrison Center and to protect the psychic females they have found. Our prince knows we are here. I also wish to congratulate you on finding your lifemate. It gives hope to those of us who have not."

"Manolito is also here," Blaine said.

"Mikhail informed us of this also. We saw his brother, Nicholas, in the Carpathian Mountains with his lifemate, but it has been centuries since we have seen Manolito. It will be good to talk with him again."

"Be welcome, then." Seeking with all his senses, he found no indication that the two men had turned. He shared his own concerns with them, including the fact that Martin, an employee of the Center, was a friend of Belle's. He also sent a call to Manolito to inform him of the presence of the two men.

"We would like to meet this woman, to see if she is lifemate to one of us," said Andre.

"That is reasonable," said Blaine, "when she finishes her work and I escort her home, I will call you. She needs to be aware that you are coming to visit, I will not have her surprised." He looked them in the eye carefully. "She may not be a lifemate to either of you. If not, I don't want you harassing her."

"We understand," said Andre, "if she is not lifemate to either of us, we will stay away from her." Tariq nodded his assent.

Blaine knew the two men would stay away from Deborah and Maryann, too. Even if he and Manolito were not on constant guard, it was very difficult for unmated males to be around mated pairs. The presence of unmated females was unsettling at best for the males, which was why their guardians were so protective of them. The males tended to follow them around, hoping to trigger the mating instinct and, if a male turned, any female or male, or human for that matter, would be in danger.

They separated to go their own ways, the two hunters to feed and Blaine to return home. Deborah threw her arms around him and held him to her. He sensed that she was troubled. Tamara was sitting quietly at the computer. There was something about her that drew his attention.

"What is it, beloved?" he asked Deborah, but his eyes were on the child.

"I feel as though someone is walking over my grave," she said shivering, "there is a sense of overwhelming evil that I can't shake. Something awful is about to happen and I don't know what it is or how to prevent it."

Blaine walked over to Tamara. She was staring at the computer screen, but seemed to be seeing something other than what was on the screen.

He touched her gently on the shoulder. "Small one, what is it? What do you see?"

"It's a dark place. There are others there. Bad people are hurting them." The child's voice was strained. "Samantha is there. Belle is there. Justin is there." She began to cry. Blaine pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. He gently probed her mind to see what was going on. What he saw frightened him to his soul.

"_Manolito," _he called, _"please go get Belle at the club. Deborah and I must find Samantha. Tamara is having terrible visions and I think the danger is immediate."_

"_I am going now," _Manolito replied.

"_Will you ask Maryann to stay with Tamara? I don't want to leave her alone and I know Maryann is very powerful."_

"_Of course, I'll come," _Maryann said, _"set the safeguards and I will be there as quickly as I can."_

Blaine set the safeguards after admonishing Tamara to stay put. Then he and Deborah changed into mist and shot into the sky. They reached out for Samantha's mind.

-----

Justin and Samantha said goodbye to their friends and pushed their trash into the receptacles before walking out the door. The rain had stopped but the air was damp and cold. There was a promise of greater cold to come.

They were laughing about something one of their friends had said. He had his arm around her shoulders, feeling her warmth through her jacket. They had so much fun with their band friends. It was great to be able to spend time with people who had so much in common with them.

They walked toward the back parking lot engrossed each other. They were almost to the car when Samantha had a sense of unease then a compulsion to get back into the restaurant. She looked up to see two men approaching them. The feeling of evil was overwhelming. Grabbing Justin's hand, she pulled him back toward the hopeful safety of the building.

"Run!" she shouted as she turned. She ran into a man who was coming up behind her. He clapped his hand over her mouth and dragged her struggling form to another car with its trunk open. A fourth man slapped her hard enough to stop her struggling, which was long enough to help the first man bind and gag her. She was put roughly into the trunk. Justin, in the same condition, was thrown in with her, nearly knocking the breath out of her when he landed on her. The lid was closed and they were left in darkness.

With tears of terror running down her face, she sent psychic screams the way she did when her stepfather attacked her. She hoped Deborah and Belle were as fast this time. Remembering Blaine's promise to protect her, she called to him with everything she had.

Justin wiggled around to get his weight off her. Then she heard the engine start and the car began to move.

-----

Belle made the rounds of the dining room, talking to her customers. Even with the dreary weather there were a fair number of people in the restaurant. She was so distracted by a growing sense of unease, that her conversation was perfunctory. She hadn't had anymore dreams just before waking and no visions, but something was off.

She had expected Martin to turn up as he did most nights. The men who were often with him had been there earlier, but later, when she looked over to where they had been sitting, they were gone. She liked Martin as a friend but his co-workers were creepy. The information she received from their minds made her feel unclean. It was a mixture of lust, hatred and the desire to hurt. She wished she could get a clearer picture of intent, but their thoughts were muddy.

A sudden loud Whoomp shook the building and caused bits of plaster to fall on the occupants. The lights went off leaving only the emergency lights to show the exits. The smell of smoke grew and the overhead sprinklers came on to shower everyone in the place. The screeching of fire alarms blended with shouts of alarm from the patrons.

"Everyone to the exits please," she called. She didn't shout, but everyone heard her. She moved toward the kitchen area to make sure her staff got out. As she passed by the hallway where the restrooms were located she saw flames leaping along the wall. Sally ran to her, looking around frantically. Belle grabbed her and pushed her toward the front of the building.

"Make sure everyone gets out, then get out yourself," she said.

"What about Mark?" Sally cried, "I have to find him." Belle read her fear for her husband.

"I'll find him and make sure he gets out." She sent Sally on her way with a mental push then hurried toward the kitchen. Most of the staff had already gone out the back door. She caught Mark heading toward the front.

"Sally is going out the front. You go out the back and you can meet her. The fire department should be here momentarily."

"_Deborah, we have a problem," _she sent.

"_I know, Manolito is coming to get you. Tamara is having visions."_

"_Someone planted a bomb in one of the restrooms or the utility room. There is a fire in that area of the building and the sprinklers have activated. I'm clearing the building."_

"_Don't go anywhere alone. You're in terrible danger. We believe the vampire hunters are on the move."_

"_Alright, I'll be waiting in front of the building with everyone else."_

"_Shield yourself,"_ Blaine said, _"If they cannot see you, they cannot attack you."_

She looked back into the dining room. The sprinklers were keeping the fire from spreading, but there would at least be water damage. The last of the patrons and staff were on their way out the front door and she could not detect anyone else in that area of the building. Shaking her head with frustration she walked through the back exit. In the short time she had delayed, everyone had moved from that area of the property. There was no one else in back. She was heading to the corner of the building to follow the others around front when she heard a sound at the edge of the lot.

Martin was standing there looking at her with a terrified expression on his face. Another man was behind him. It was the blond man who had been in the restaurant. He was holding a gun to Martin's head.

"Run, Belle," Martin cried, "you have to get away!"

"Shut up, fool," the blond man, Albert, said, "if you try to run I'll shoot your boyfriend."

Belle froze wishing she had made herself invisible before going out the door. She quickly sent the information to Deborah then she gathered her energy to stop the man. She walked slowly toward them, concentrating on the gun hand, and she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder.

A burning sensation spread from her shoulder to quickly take over her body. She collapsed onto the ground unable to move or speak. She tried to call Deborah or Blaine but was trapped in her own mind. Remembering the lessons she had from Manolito she immediately turned inward to seek inside her own body. She felt herself being picked up and put into the trunk of a vehicle.

-----

"She's gone, Blaine¸ I can't feel her!" Deborah was frantic. Then her panic increased. "Samantha! They have Samantha!"

"_Manolito, something has happened to Belle. Neither of us can feel her. Please hurry."_

"_I am arriving at the club now. There is a great deal of confusion. There are firetrucks and there is a hole in one wall. People are milling about everywhere. I don't see her and I can't sense a Carpathian. I fear she has been given the same drug that has been used on other Carpathians."_

"_Deborah and I are both linked to Samantha. She has been taken too, but has not been drugged. We can both feel her fear. We will track her by this link. I hope they have all been taken to the same place."_

-----

The trunk of the car opened and hard hands dragged Samantha out. She had the impression of a garage but it was dark. She was tossed over a hard shoulder and carried through a corridor to an elevator.

The elevator went down and she was carried through another corridor before being taken to a dark room. Her bonds and gag were removed, and she was left alone in the dark. A small window was in the heavy door, but there was not enough light for her to see her surroundings.

She felt around near the door for a light switch and was surprised to actually find one. Flipping the switch illuminated a small room with a thin mattress on a steel platform that was attached to the wall. There was a sink and a toilet. It looked like a prison cell and she supposed that's exactly what it was.

She reached for Deborah and Belle, then for Blaine. Her fear was all-consuming. She huddled in a corner, trying to make herself as small as possible and gave way to her terror. Wondering where Justin was and fearing for his safety, she wrapped her arms around herself and wept.

-----

Justin was taken to another room and left on the floor. He lay there shaking, angry that he hadn't been able to defend Samantha, terrified of what might happen to them. These people were from the outfit where his uncle worked, he was sure. He wondered what they wanted with him and Samantha. He didn't have long to wait.

He heard the door open and felt a presence in the room. He was afraid to turn over to see what was standing there, but he new it wasn't human. Finally, the presence moved around to face him. On first glance, it appeared to be a good-looking man, tall with long dark hair, much like Blaine or Manolito. Justin realized right away that this creature wasn't like them at all.

As he watched, the illusion of beauty faded from the man, and left a hideous creature that hardly looked human. Its flesh was stretch tightly over its bones. Its long hair was colorless and left bare patches of scalp. The creature looked as if its body was partially decayed. It looked at him with a grin that showed yellowed sharp-looking teeth. Drool ran down its chin.

"Hello, Justin," it said, in a high, grating voice that chilled him to the bone, "I'm glad to meet you at last. I have a little task for you."

Even if he had not been gagged, he was too terrified to speak though he wanted to scream. The thing approached him slowly, seeming to enjoy his terror. It pulled him to a standing position by his arms. Its touch was cold. He looked into its mad, red eyes and was lost. Fangs lengthened in a cruel in a mouth and drew close to him. His last memory was of foul breath on his neck followed by terrible pain.

-----

Belle focused on examining the chemicals in her system, even as she was carried into a dark room and place on a cold, steel table. Her clothes were removed and her arms shackled over her head. Her legs were pulled apart and her ankles shackled at the edges of the table.

Terror gripped her, but she was determined to find the key to changing the chemicals that held her body paralyzed. She tried again to reach out for Deborah and Blaine but could sense nothing.

"I would love to start on her," said one of the men. It was Albert.

"Don't even think about it," said another, "we might get her after He is through with her. If there's anything left."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but she sure is pretty." He reached out and ran a hand up the inside of her leg from knee to upper thigh to touch her intimately.

She shuddered inwardly with revulsion from the man's touch. It made her feel unclean. Relief rushed through her when he removed his hand and they left the room. She turned back to the task of analyzing and breaking down the poisons that held her captive.

She focused completely on what she was doing, unraveling chemical chains and transmuting the chemicals. Surprisingly she was able to change most of them into harmless substances. One of the compounds was more difficult, but she was able to send it through her bloodstream to come out of her pores in the form of bloody perspiration.

It seemed to take along time to rid herself of most of the poison. She was so intent on this task that she did not know the man was there until she felt a hand touch her breast.

-----

Tamara was crying when Maryann arrived. She looked into the child's mind and was appalled at what she saw there. She pulled the child into her arms and held her, praying that the others found Samantha and Belle in time.

As she comforted the child, Maryann became aware of movement outside the house. Even with the safeguards, men had surrounded the house. She read the evil in their minds and the plan of attack. The whole operation had been well-coordinated.

They would strike at each location at the same time. They would separate the Carpathians, making them more vulnerable to attack. Some of their cohorts had captured Samantha and her friend, then they had taken Belle, now they were after Tamara and Maryann.

This time the bad guys made a mistake. They thought Maryann and a little girl were helpless, but they did not know that Maryann was Lycan by birth and had not lost those characteristics when she was converted. Her guardian wolf was raging to come out. She had to maintain control and use her Lycan and Carpathian abilities to save herself and Tamara.

She felt for the safeguards and added her own strength to them. Then she listened with her mind to find out how many adversaries there were. There were five human males, intent on capturing or killing her and taking Tamara. There was one vampire.

She sent the information to Manolito with the assurance that she had the situation under control, assurance she wasn't sure she believed. She believed in her abilities but dealing with a vampire was terrifying. She was starting to get pissed off. She did not like being afraid. Laying the trembling child on the sofa, Maryann stood to look out the window. Meeting the eyes of the vampire, she prepared to do battle.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

It has taken a little longer to get this chapter out and I'm not sure I like it. It needs a lot more that will have to be in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. The usual disclaimers apply.

Chapter 12

Samantha had been huddled on the floor for a few minutes wound up in her terror when she felt a tickle in her mind that felt familiar. She reached for it. It was Deborah! She opened her mind a little more and felt another presence. Blaine!

"_Help!"_ she called out in her mind.

"_Samantha, can you show us where you are?"_ Blaine sent.

"_I don't know, I'm underground somewhere."_

"_Sweetheart, we are coming for you. Is Belle with you?"_

"_Belle? No. Have they taken her, too?"_

"_Someone planted a bomb at the club,"_ Deborah told her. _"We know she was unhurt, but something has happened. We cannot reach her."_

"_Manolito was going to protect her, but she was gone when he arrived," _Blaine said._ "Is Justin with you?"_

"_We came out of McDonald's and some men grabbed us. They tied us up and gagged us and threw us in the trunk. When we got here, I was shoved into this room. I don't know where Justin is. I hope he's alright."_ They felt her crying.

"_Samantha,"_ Blaines's voice was soothing, _"We need you to look around. We will see through your eyes."_

She did as he asked, going to the door on his command. The inside of the door was smooth where a handle should be. Through her eyes he looked at the room, hoping to find something to use as a weapon. There was nothing loose in the room.

_Samantha, can you see outside of the room?"_

"_No. There's a window, but it's too high."_

"_I want you to put your hands on the door. I will try to unlock it using your mind."_ Samantha had trouble believing anyone could do that, but she had seen Deborah and Belle do some unusual things.

"_Okay,"_ she said and walked toward the door. Before she could touch it, there was the sound of a lock being turned. She backed toward the wall opposite the door. Blaine watched through her eyes.

Justin opened the door and walked into the room, holding a large cloth in one hand. She started to run to him.

"_Stop!" _Blaine shouted. _"Look at him. Don't take your eyes off him!"_

Relief turned to horror as Justin's face twisted in an evil leer. Only this was not Justin. It was someone else wearing Justin's body. Evil poured off him like a flood. Before Blaine could act, the creature reached out and flipped the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. He leaped at Samantha and threw the cloth across her face.

The creature/Justin forced her to the floor, causing her head to hit with a thump that dazed her for a few seconds. He tore at her clothes, grabbing roughly at her flesh. She tried to fight, but he punched her in the face with his fist, knocking her head against the floor again. Everything went dark.

Deborah screamed and Blaine roared. Neither of them could do anything to help Samantha.

-----

"You people really do sweat blood, don't you," said the blond man, Albert, pulling his hand away in disgust. Belle caught his eyes before he could look away. His leer changed to horror as he realized he was trapped. She forced him to undo the straps that held her hands over her head, then the ankle straps.

She tried moving her arms and was able to do it with great effort. Sending him a command to sit on the floor and not move, she turned to pushing more of the poison from her system. After the exertion of breaking down and expelling the chemicals, she desperately needed to feed.

She pulled herself to a sitting position on the table and called Albert to her. Attempts to seek outside herself were futile. Her control of the man seemed secure, but she could not see into his mind. Sensing no drugs or poisons in his system, she made him extend his wrist. Normally, she would have avoided feeding from someone like this, but she needed the blood and he owed her that much.

A hose was attached to a faucet extending form the wall. With Albert's forced assistance, she managed get off the table and stand. She staggered over to the hose and turned the handle on. The cold water felt good as it sluiced over her body washing away the bloody perspiration. The water flowed to a drain in the floor. She wondered how much innocent blood had been washed down that drain.

Her clothes were in a trash can. She pulled them out, intending to reform the fabric into jeans and a t-shirt, but still did not have the strength, even with the infusion of blood. The clothes had been cut off her, so putting them back on was not an option.

She looked at Albert. He was a large, tall man. His shirt would be very large on her but it would cover her. Her low heeled shoes were intact in the trash can and she pulled them out. With a mental push, he removed his jacket and a gun in a shoulder holster. Belle took the shirt from him and put it on. The thought of having anything of his next to her skin was disgusting, but she could scrub herself later.

She looked at the gun, then picked it up. If she couldn't use her Carpathian abilities, it would come in handy. Another attempt to call to Deborah failed. At least she was moving more easily now. She thought about killing Albert, knowing it would be best for everyone, but she might need him for something. He would live for now, she decided.

"How many of you are here?" Her voice was husky because of the drugs. I was hard to get the words out.

He spoke as if his mind was a long way from there. "Ten of us are here."

"What are your orders?"

"To bring you here."

"Where is Martin?"

"In another room." This was getting frustrating.

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me." Sheesh. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip phone. She dialed the number to their house, thankful that she was able to remember the number.

"Hello?" A voice answered tentatively.

"Tamara? Baby, it's Belle, let me talk to Deborah or Blaine."

"They're not here," the child said in a frightened voice, "they're looking for you and Samantha."

"Honey, is anyone with you?" Then Tamara was gone and she heard a familiar voice.

"Belle?" It was Maryann. "Where are you? We've been so worried. I've got a vampire and his minions outside the house and Deborah and Blaine are trying to find you. Are you alright? Is Samantha with you?"

"Samantha is not here. Did they get her,too? Oh, god." Despair flooded through her. She looked at Albert, who stood quietly.

"What happened? Why are you using a phone? You sound awful."

"They got me coming out of the club. One guy held a gun to Martin's head and, before I could do anything, someone injected me with some sort of drug. It's taken me all this time to break it down and get it out of my system. I have control of one of the men, but I can't get inside his head or call anyone. It's all I can do to walk around and it's an effort to talk."

"Listen, honey, I'm sending the information to Manolito, but he's on his way back here to help us. Can you tell me where you are?"

"Hang on." She turned to Albert. "Albert, I want you to tell this lady where we are. Tell her where this building is." She handed the phone back to him and listened as he gave Maryann the information.

Taking the phone back she said, "what happened to Samantha?"

"She was taken with Justin outside McDonald's. Something terrible is happening to her and Deborah and Blaine are trying to get to her."

"I'm going to look for her. I bet Albert knows where she is. Take care of Tamara." She ended the connection.

"Okay, Albert, tell me if a girl was brought here tonight."

"Yes."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes."

"Take me to her." He turned toward the door. "Stop," Belle said, "open the door and look out into the corridor, then tell me what you see." He did as he was told. The corridor was clear. At her command he led her through a hallway with doors on both sides. She stopped him again.

"Is anyone in these rooms?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Others like you. Vampires and their slaves." A chill went down her spine.

"Open this door," she said, indicated the nearest one. He pulled a key ring out of his pocket. "Does that key open all the doors?" He nodded.

She looked inside as the door opened. Strapped to a steel table was a girl who appeared to be in her teens. Cuts and bruises covered her naked body. She looked at Belle with eyes that had gone beyond terrified and into despair.

"Untie her," she ordered Albert. After he did so, Belle gently touched the girl's forehead and smoothed her hair back.

"We are going to get you out of here sweetheart, but we can't do it right now. I need to find out how many others are here, but I have friends coming to rescue all of us."

The way the girl's eyes watched Albert, Belle knew he had been a participant in whatever had happened to her. He would definitely not live to see another day.

"How many more people are being held here?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Seven." Damnation, she thought. Pulling out the cell phone, she called the house again. Tamara answered.

"Tamara, can I talk to Maryann again?" The sound of screams came from somewhere outside the house.

"Belle, have you found Samantha?"

"No, but I have found another young girl who has been abused. Albert said there are seven others here."

"Okay, I'll tell Manolito and he can tell Blaine. They are on the way there." Her voice was tense and there was another scream of rage from somewhere nearby.

-----

Maryann was in a fight for her life and that of a little girl. Since she looked out the window into the face of the vampire, she had been struggling to keep a shield up around the house and hinder their attackers at the same time. She had managed to wound the vampire twice, making him angry, and he was getting better at avoiding her attacks. Getting rid of his human minions helped a great deal.

Within the first few minutes, she had taken control of them and killed two of them. The others fled from Manolito's illusion of an attacking wolf pack. When the phone rang, it startled a squeek out of Tamara, but hearing Belle's ragged voice gave her hope. It was distracting trying to talk to Belle and monitor the vampire at the same time.

The creature was powerful and Maryann was a very young Carpathian. Without her link to Manolito, she feared she would lose the battle.

"_Hon, please ask Blaine if he can talk to Belle through Tamara. I'm kind of busy here."_

"_Alright. I am almost there, but I sense two more vampires on the scene. Stay in the house and keep your shields up."_

"_Aye, aye captain. " _

-----

The laboratory complex was well away from the city and its public offices. Blaine and Deborah were outside the complex scouting the surroundings. Blaine had sent a call to Tariq and Andre for assistance. As much as he hated to admit it, they needed the help. There were nine human males in the facility and three vampires in the surface buildings. He could not sense the seven, including Belle, who were held prisoner in the subterranean level. There was some sort of barrier between them. A communications tower rose over the complex.

He reached out to Tamara. The mental contact frightened her at first, but he was able to soothe her. The visions were coming frequently and she was passing on information from Belle. The child was exhausted, terrified and overloaded, but she was determined to do her part. Through her, he was able to communicate with Belle enough to find out where she was located.

Alert for traps, Blaine's misty form moved toward an entrance. Deborah moved along side him. He would prefer that she remain somewhere safe, but there was no such place. He was actually more comfortable knowing she was there. With their soul-bond, he could help her if necessary. Though he sensed disapproval from the other two hunters, his resolve never wavered. He was an ancient, a force to be reckoned with, and he could protect his mate.

_There will be traps, beloved. Stay alert." _She sent him a mixture of love, determination, and resolve, with an underlying rage at those who had done this.

-----

Dragging Albert along with her, Belle opened every door, finding six of the captives. Their ages ranged from about six up to late teens. Three were boys and three were girls. Two of the boys were strapped to a table like the first girl. The others, all younger children, were found huddling in their cells, a thousand yard stare in their eyes. Belle herded them all together and, leaving instructions for them to take care of each other, locked the cell door and went to look for Samantha.

At the end of the corridor was a locked door. On the wall was a key card reader.

"Can you get this door open, Albert?"

"No, I'm not authorized to go in there." Just great, she thought. Again she tried pushing into his mind and, this time, was able to read his thoughts. With another push, she was able to see who was likely to have a key card. Unfortunately, none of those people was available.

Once more, she reached out for Deborah or Blaine, but was unable to make contact. She would have to try opening the door the Carpathian way. This called for an energy boost. Making Albert extend his wrist, she fed. She didn't want to kill him just yet, so she restrained herself, also there was the taboo about killing while feeding. She was a little shocked at herself for even thinking about killing him, no matter how much he deserved it.

She placed her hands on either side of the lock and concentrated. Nothing. She could not see into the door to know what to move. It appeared that subtlety was not going to work.

If the last of the drug would just wear off so she could use all her abilities. Sighing in frustration, she stepped back to look at the door. It appeared to be solid steel.

When Deborah sent her fire into an enemy, she caused the area where she was aiming to heat up. If Belle could do that to the door, maybe at the hinges, where the metal was thinner. She stepped close to the door near the hinged side, and focused on a hinge. She could feel the metal heat up. Narrowing her focus to one end of the hinge, she sent her energy into the metal.

A red glow spread from the focus and began to melt the steel. She allowed it to flow down the hinge, holding the heat in place until the metal separated. She did this for all the hinges, then started on the other side of the door. With a crack the steel door separated from the frame. A gentle push sent the heavy door over to hit the floor with a ringing crash.

Calling Albert to follow, she walked quickly into the corridor. The same key worked in the doors in this hallway. The first door opened into a dark room. On the far side someone was huddled on the floor, sobbing. Though Belle could see in the dark, she felt for the light switch and flipped it up. She got a good look at what was on the floor.

"Oh. My. God." It was all she could say.


	13. Chapter 13

This world and its Carpathians are the property of Christine Feehan. Blaine, Belle, Deborah and the girls are mine.

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have to confess I am addicted to Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. If you all haven't read the books or the fan fiction, it's a great series and there are some wonderful authors in that section.

Now back to Dark Sorrow

Chapter 13

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Whispered sobs came from Justin as he held Samantha close, rocking her unconscious body. The creature using him had left him aware and enjoyed his horror at what was being done to the girl he loved using his own body. Being forced to abuse someone he loved was the ultimate cruelty.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Belle's face through tear-filled eyes.

She pulled Samantha from his arms and examined her. There were scratches on her throat and breasts, swelling on her face and there was blood on her thighs. That he had done it to her was almost more that he could bear.

"I didn't mean to. He made me do it," he said, his voice breaking.

"I know. Vampires love cruelty." Her voice was hoarse.

Samantha did not respond. Belle reached her awareness out to enter the girl's body. There was a lump on the back of her head and bleeding just under the skull. Using her healing energy, she stopped the bleeding and caused the blood to be absorbed into the surrounding tissues, relieving the pressure. Thankfully, there was no other damage in that area.

The scratches on the girl's body were superficial, but there was deep bruising. Another bruise was swelling on her cheek. After healing those areas, Belle moved her energy lower, to focus on vaginal tearing. The rape had been rough on her body. Belle withdrew from Samantha's body and looked at Justin. The smell of vampire and the knowledge that he too was a victim were the only things that kept her from killing him. If he had been used by the vampire, he was just as innocent as Samantha.

"Was she aware when this happened?"

"No, I don't think so. Her head hit the floor when I..he.. forced her down." Justin sat in dejection, his head on his knees, speaking between sobs.

"That's a mercy," she said, turning back to the girl. Samantha was in the fertile period of her cycle and Belle wanted to make sure there would be no pregnancy. As she prepared to reenter the girl's body, she sensed a presence behind her. Turning she saw that a man had entered the room. Her senses screamed: VAMPIRE!

-----

Blaine led the foray into the building, with Deborah right behind him and the other two men following. Manolito was engaged, as he should be, in battling to protect his own lifemate and Tamara back at the house.

The humans ran out, controlled by their vampire masters, firing automatic weapons. The Carpathians in mist form wound around them easily, closing off their air, confusing them, and making them shoot each other. None of these were the true puppets of a vampire, people who had been given vampire blood in an exchange meant to enslave them, but they were influenced by the undead. These were people who were already evil and it took very little to convince them to injure and kill the innocent.

With the last human attacker dead, the rescuers moved quickly down the corridor looking for entry to the lower level. Now that they were inside, they could sense the people held below. Several humans were in one section and three were farther away. There was also a Carpathian and…one betrayer moving toward that area. That left two vampires unaccounted for.

"It's Belle," cried Deborah, "I still can't reach her mind, but I know it's her."

"Samantha is there, too. She is unconscious but alive," Blaine said, "We must hurry."

They found a stairwell with a locked door. Forcing the door, they flew down to the next level. They passed by the room with six people in it, six frightened people, some of them hurt. These people would be attended to when Belle and Samantha were safe.

Blaine paused at the damaged door, checking for the undead. He was very near, as was Belle. He still did not detect the other two. He sent to Manolito, giving him an update and warning him about the two missing vampires.

"_They are here and they are being dealt with. See to your family, my friend."_

Blaine touched Tamara's mind. She was past fear and into deep exhaustion. Her visions had helped them find their way through the laboratory complex, but they were erratic at best. Her young mind had been used and stretched too quickly for her age and she would need healing when the battles were over. With a gentle push he sent her to sleep, catching one more vision before she succumbed.

-----

Watching from the safety of the house, Maryann sent a broken branch through the chest of a vampire just before he could attack Manolito from behind. She felt his pride in her through their bond along with his command to stay inside and keep herself and Tamara safe.

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed as the storm generated by the combatants roared through the region. There was a great deal of damage in the surrounding area. The green house was down along with several trees, which had been splintered. These splinters had proven to be valuable weapons for Maryann to use during the battle. She had stopped two of the vampires long enough for Manolito to finish them off. Deep inside she knew he could have done it without her, but it gave her great satisfaction to use her abilities to help him.

With a thrust of his clawed hand, he tore the heart from the last vampire and flung it away from him. The creature screamed and clawed at his chest, crawling toward the wiggling organ. Manolito drew the lightning to him and used it to burn the vampire and his heart to ash, then turned it to destroy the others.

He gathered the bodies of the humans, dead at Maryann's hands, he thought with pride. She would feel guilt over their deaths, but he would rather deal with that than losing her. Piling them up, he used the lightning again to dispose of the bodies.

At the door, she threw herself into his arms, kissing him with everything she had.

"We did it. How are the others? Have they been rescued yet?"

"Our people are in the laboratory now and they have found Belle and Samantha, but there is a vampire in the way. Don't worry they will take care of him. There are four Carpathians to the rescue." He held her to him inhaling her scent. "How is the little one?"

Maryann gasped, horrified that she had forgotten about Tamara. She ran into the house, followed by Manolito. The child was lying on her side on the couch in a deep sleep, blood running from her nose. Manolito gathered her to him gently, reaching into her with his mind.

"Her brain has been overused. She has had to handle too much power for one so young. I will heal her and she will be fine."

He sent his healing light into the child, examining the paths in her brain that had been stretched and were inflamed. There were some interesting anomalies in her brain, anomalies that looked familiar. He finished his task, healing the inflammation, following the paths, making sure she would have no pain when she woke hours later. When he came out of Tamara's body, he looked up at Maryann.

"My love," he said, "this child has a brain structure similar to yours. I think this child may be of the Lycan race."

-----

The vampire did not even try to cast glamour over himself. He grinned at them, his fangs dripping, strands of greasy hair trailing down his face. Belle stared at him in horror, nearly paralyzed by fear. She had not felt this way since her kidnapping the night Deborah was turned. Still trapped in her own mind and weak, she could not call for help.

The creature stalked her, his head moving side to side in a hypnotic motion, lust in his eyes. She stepped away from him toward the wall, hoping to distract him from the two teenagers. She looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. The gun holster she wore caught her eye. She had forgotten about it. Needing a distraction, she looked at Albert, still standing quietly near the door, and said,

"Attack."

The man lunged at the vampire, causing him to break his gaze on Belle. She used this opportunity to pull out the gun. Bullets wouldn't kill the vampire, but they might slow him down a little.

The vampire raked his claws across the Albert's throat then dug his talons into the mans chest to pick him up and fling him into the opposite wall. The body hit with a sickening crunch and slid to the floor. The creature screamed as Belle emptied the gun into his chest and face. She grabbed Justin's arm and looked him in the eyes.

"I will distract the vampire. You will pick Samantha up and get her out of here." The boy nodded.

Belle moved around the room, keeping the steel table between her and the vampire. His body was healing quickly and he watched her with death in his eyes. She began creating a shield in her mind hoping she had the strength to hold him off long enough for Justin to get Samantha out of the room. Even if they didn't make it, she had to give them a chance.

"It must make you feel really good to attack boys and girls," she said in her raspy voice, "Are you afraid of a real woman?"

Weary from the residual poison and from her efforts to heal Samantha, she taunted him, determined to keep his attention on her. He stalked her around the table, an evil smile stretching his thin lips. Knowing it would likely be her last act, Belle threw the gun at the vampire, striking him on the head. It had the effect she hoped. With a scream of rage he leaped at her.

Justin took the chance to carry Samantha to the door. Relieved that he was obeying her orders, Belle raised her shield enough to keep the vampire from grabbing her. She continued to taunt him, keeping his attention. The shield would fall soon enough and he would have her.

-----

Screams echoed down the hall and they saw Justin running out of a room with Samantha over his shoulder. Blaine pulled her from Justin's arms and handed her to Deborah, then ordered them both to stay in the hall. Deborah didn't bother arguing with him, she needed to attend to the teenagers, and she would be in his mind as he fought.

Blaine and the other two males flew into the room. The vampire held Belle to him, drinking her blood in gulps. Then the vampire screamed as Blaine thrust his hand through the vampire's back to reach his heart. The creature pulled his fangs from Belle's neck and twisted away and managed to changed to bloody mist in his efforts to escape. Tariq blocked his way with a shield and he was forced to reform. Andre finished the job, thrusting his own hand into the creature's chest and ripping out his heart.

Blaine worked on Belle, stopping the blood flow from her neck and closing slash marks down her chest where the vampire had raked her with his claws. He still could not reach her mind.

"The others?" she croaked.

"The others are safe," he assured her.

"Martin?"

"I do not know, Belle¸ I am sorry." He picked her up and carried her into the hall, leaving the disposal of the vampire to Andre and Tariq. Deborah left Samantha's side and ran to her sister, tears streaming down her face.

"I want to get them out of here, Deborah, and take them home. We can see to their complete healing there." He returned to the room to tell the other Carpathians what he planned.

"We will help you carry your women to your home, then return," Andre said, "I would like to search this place, to see what records they have stored on their victims and potential victims. Then we will destroy this place."

"There are other prisoners here," Belle whispered to Deborah, "some of them have been tortured. All of them are very young. They need to be returned to their families."

"I know, sweetheart, we will take care of them. I want you to sleep now so you can heal. We are going to take you home. We can talk and compare notes after you have healed."

Belle nodded and allowed her heart and lungs to slow and stop. She had lost a lot of blood before Blaine got to her and she would need to feed. This would be taken care of at home, too. Deborah couldn't wait to get her loved ones out of this evil place. The boy, Justin, had the look of someone exposed to too much sorrow and had the taint of vampire about him. A quick look into his mind told her enough. He would need healing, too.

Back at the house, Belle was taken to the soil bed under the house. Blaine, Deborah and Manolito made sure there was no trace of chemical or vampire poison left in her body. Blaine woke her long enough give her his ancient blood then sent her back to sleep deeply in the soil.

Samantha slept peacefully in her bed, her body healed. Her mind was another story. The trauma of the kidnapping and subsequent rape would be with her a long time. It helped that she had been unconscious at the time. Justin wallowed in guilt and despair at what he had done, even though it had not been his fault.

Blaine had shared the last vision he saw in Tamara's mind. It was of Samantha holding a little golden-haired girl. They all agreed not to try to prevent a pregnancy until she awakened and was able to make a choice. Conception had not yet taken place, but there was little time to prevent it.

Maryann watched Justin. He was restless, pacing and behaved as though he had a headache. She knew he felt he had failed to protect Samantha, but there was something more, something that made her feel uneasy. When the others came back into the house, she would ask them to check him over carefully.

She shared her concerns with Manolito who had gone with the other two men to the laboratory to oversee its destruction and arrange for the care of the other victims. Ambulances and law-enforcement people were converging on the area. They would have to be very careful how much information was allowed to leak to the human authorities, but knowledge of the Morrison Lab's true evil needed to be public. It might help keep psychics from trusting them and being victimized.

"_Watch him carefully, Maryann. If he is infected with the vampire's parasites, he is very dangerous."_

"_I won't take my eyes off him. Blaine and Deborah are coming in now."_

Maryann caught Deborah's eyes and nodded toward Justin. Deborah looked at him and went pale. Blaine approached him slowly.

"Justin, I need to examine you for injury. I am sorry to have neglected you."

Justin looked at him, rage on his face.

"You were supposed to protect her!" he shouted. Then a cunning looked flashed over his face. "I got her though. You're so strong, but I got her." He laughed in a high pitched voice that sounded like that of a vampire.

The Carpathians looked at each other. Justin suddenly leaped at Deborah, but Blaine grabbed him before he could touch her. The boy was abnormally strong, but Blaine wrapped invisible restraints around him. He did not want to kill the boy but, if they could not cleanse him of the parasites, killing would be the kindest thing they could do. It took all three of them to gain control of Justin's mind and put him to sleep.

It was past dawn by the time they were able to remove all of the vampire's taint and parasites from the boy's body, but it was done successfully. Andre and Tariq had gone to ground in the garden. They and Manolito had taken turns providing blood for Blaine and Deborah as they worked on Justin. Finally, they put Justin to bed on the sofa and left him in a deep sleep, then they reinforced the safeguards before taking their own rest in the soil bed.

TBC

-----

I debated whether or not to kill Justin off. It's one of the things that delayed this chapter. He was such a nice kid that I just couldn't bring myself to do it, though it was my original intention. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that everything made sense. Thank you for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

As always, the Carpathian universe belongs to Christine Feehan. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 14

Deborah sat in the hot bubbling pool, leaning against Blaine's chest, his strong arms around her, and his chin resting on her head. Their lovemaking had been intense, filled with love for each other and relief over rescuing Belle and Samantha. There were still obstacles to overcome, but at least they were all together again.

"Tell me what the men found at the laboratory."

"They disposed of the bodies and cleansed the place of the vampire's taint. The remaining victims were taken to an area hospital by the emergency medical personnel. Some of them are physically injured and were given drugs. All of them will have psychological issues, especially the older girl. She was abused by at least one of those men." He was appalled at how cruelly humans could treat children and young women.

"That poor child." Deborah felt a stab of pain at the thought of what the girl had endured. It brought back dark memories that she quickly pushed away.

"Manolito and the others altered their memories enough to keep them from talking about us but it was too close to dawn to try healing all of them. The girl believes she escaped and called for help. They checked the computer files and found the Center's database, copied it and erased it from their system, but there is plenty of evidence left for the human authorities to see the true colors of the Morrison Center. I hope the attention from the news media will make people think twice about trusting anyone who claims to work for them.

"I'm glad Samantha was unaware when she was attacked. I'm also glad the child in Tamara's vision was not hers. She is much too young to have to deal with such a burden." She thought for a moment. "What about Justin?"

"Martin's body was found at the edge of the club's parking lot. According to the records that were recovered, he was not Justin's uncle. It appears Justin was stolen from his family when he was small. We will never know how Martin came to have him, but he seems to have been a good guardian and actually cared for the boy. We will try to find Justin's family and return him to them."

Blaine ran his hands gently down her body and rested them on her abdomen. He sent his spirit into her body to examine the tiny embryo growing there. Deborah was in his mind, feeling the warmth of his spirit in her womb, surrounding their daughter with love.

Pulling his spirit out of her he continued his exploration of her body, his hands moving up to caress her breasts, moving down to her thighs. His lips nuzzled her neck. She turned enough to meet his lips, then turned around to straddle him, rubbing her hands over his chest. Soon there was no more talk, no more thought, just sensation.

-----

Belle looked into Andre's eyes, seeing his darkness and his hope. She reached out and took his hand and held it for several seconds. There was nothing at first, then she had a vision.

"I'm sorry, Andre, I am not your lifemate, but I see you with a dark haired woman. She is sitting on some steps and you are rolling around on a lawn with a small boy. You are laughing."

His hard gaze softened as she shared the vision with him and, with a small smile, he said, "I pray that you are right, Belle, for I do not think I have much time left."

"You must stay strong for this woman. She needs you. I think it will be soon," Belle said, releasing his hand. She turned to Tariq.

She repeated the procedure, taking his hand and looking into his eyes. Again there was no calling of spirit to spirit, body to body. Tariq looked at her sadly; she was not the light to his darkness either.

"I am truly sorry," she said, "I cannot see as clearly, but I know there is someone for you. She exists but she is not close. She may live in another country, but I don't really think so. Look to the south and east."

Both men bowed deeply to her, nodded to the other Carpathians and, with a sudden rush of wings, took to the air.

Mikhail had been informed of all the events and their aftermath and encouraged Blaine to bring his family to the Carpathian Mountains. Being in the company of others of their kind, would help to keep the women safe and other Carpathians could teach them more of their history and abilities. He was overjoyed at the thought that there were two more adult female Carpathians, one of whom was unclaimed, and that the two girls were potential lifemates. That Deborah was carrying a female child, according to Tamara and Belle's visions, was a bonus, and she absolutely must be protected.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the club was sold to Sally and Mark, the couple who had managed the place since it was opened. The insurance settlement would pay for repairs. The green house was rebuilt and the storm damage cleaned up, but there was an underlying sadness remaining. The girls returned to school and tried to act as though none of the terrible things had happened, but they were skittish and afraid.

Justin's family was found and contacted and rejoiced that he was restored to them. He was to adjusting to the fact that everything he thought he knew about his life was a lie. With a little help from Blaine and a lot of counseling from Maryann, he was able to deal with the events in the laboratory, but his relationship with Samantha was shattered.

Aidan Savage and his wife Alexandria volunteered to study the database and monitor the children who were rescued, especially the females with psychic abilities. Other Carpathian males would search for the people on the database, to see how many of the females actually had psychic abilities and, of course, hope that lifemates would be found. There was a little more hope for their race now, with two more Carpathian females found, and the potential for more.

They waited until the school term ended to leave. At first, Samantha balked at the thought of leaving her friends, but she finally realized that her feelings had changed. She still liked Justin as a friend, but there was a different dynamic between them. She could sense his shame when they were together and she knew things would never be the same. It was a relief to her when the time came to board the jet offered as transport by the de la Cruz family.

Maryann and Manolito had stayed to help the new Carpathian family and to explore Tamara's lineage as much as possible. They were unable to find any records of the child's parents. She had been found outside a hospital emergency room as a toddler. Now they would go back to the Carpathian Mountains to visit friends and submit to Shea Dubrinski's desire to collect DNA for genetic testing.

Preparations for the journey were complete and the house closed up. Safeguards were set to keep looters out, but the house would be available for other Carpathians visiting the area.

It was nearly dawn when they boarded the jet. Their estimated arrival time in Romania was after sunset. Mikhail was sending someone to meet them and escort them to the mountains.

Tamara sat with Deborah during takeoff, her head on Deborah's protruding abdomen, as if she were communicating with the baby. Blaine sat on the other side of Deborah and held her hand. They and the other Carpathians would sleep in a light-tight cabin and the girls would be cared for by trusted employees of the de la Cruz family.

Even Samantha felt lighter of heart when they were finally in the air. She was beginning to look forward to meeting others like Deborah, Belle and Blaine, and of course, Maryann and Manolito. She wondered if all the Carpathian men were as handsome as the ones she had met. Andre and Tariq were so scary she couldn't imagine being a lifemate to a one of them, but maybe the men changed when they found their mates. Blaine and Manolito were certainly nice, even if they were bossy and domineering. That was not something she would worry about now. Now she was off on a new adventure and everything was great. Belle, sitting next to her and reading her thoughts, smiled at the girl and reached out to give her hand a gentle squeeze.

Epilogue

Andre entered the hospital silent and unseen. Several of the kidnapped children had obvious psychic abilities. He had not had a chance to study them as much as he wanted, but he determined to do so now.

The lobby was crowded with people, family members, friends, law enforcement investigators and reporters. The rescue of these young victims was tremendous news. Relieved family members were being interviewed. Andre could tell from their thoughts that most of them just wanted to get their children and go home. None of these people noticed the faint mist that floated by overhead and disappeared under a door and up a stairway.

The victims were all kept on the same hospital floor and were guarded by police officers. Andre silently slipped into each room to examine their bodies and minds. Reaching the teenage girl who was so damaged, he took the time to examine her and heal the worst of her injuries, then went into her mind to heal and distance her from the abuse.

As he moved down the hallway toward the last room he heard the sound of someone singing softly. The sound shot through his body like a lightning bolt. He stopped, gasping for breath, stunned at a sudden wash of emotion that nearly brought him to his knees. When he could move, he opened the door to the room cautiously. A young, dark-haired woman was holding a little boy about five years old. She rocked him gently and sang to him in a voice that was soothing.

He stood and watched her for several minutes, taking in everything about her, from her short, dark, almost black, hair, a blue cotton blouse, tan trousers, to her black, low heeled shoes. Colors. He was seeing colors. She had to have felt him watching, because she stopped singing and turned her head to look at him with tear filled green eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a low, velvet voice, tinged with sadness.

"Yes, I believe you can," he responded with a dazzling smile.

End.

-----

I hope everyone enjoyed my first effort at fan fiction. I realize that I need to practice writing to become a good writer, so I hope you all don't mind me practicing on you. Many thanks to those who offered feedback and criticism; it gives me encouragement to keep writing. I have several ideas in mind for future stories. I may do some shorter vignettes that include other characters from the Carpathian universe. I'm even thinking about a crossover, but I won't say anymore about that for now. Again, I apologize for misused words, misspellings and ramblings that don't make sense.


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